London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1901
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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43
Diarrhœa.
The deaths in the administrative county of London attributed to diarrhoea and dysentery
in the year 1901 numbered 3,900, compared with 3,537 in the year 1900.
The death rates in 1901 and preceding periods are shown in the following table—
| Period. | Death rate per 1,000 living. | Period. | Death rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-60 | 1.03 | 1895 | 0.821 |
| 1861-70 | 1.04 | 1896 | 0.711 |
| 1871-80 | 0.95 | 1897 | 0.921 |
| 1881-90 | 0.75 | 1898 | 0.981 |
| 1891 | 0.571 | 1899 | 0.931 |
| 1892 | 0.601 | 1900 | 0.781 |
| 1893 | 0.801 | 1901 | 0.861 |
| 1894 | 0.411 |
The diarrhoea 'death rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean death rate of
the period 1841-1901 is shown in diagram XV. The mean temperature of the summer quarter
of each year in relation to the mean of the period of 1841-1901 is also shown.
The age distribution of the deaths 2 from this disease in London in the year 1901 was as follows—
| Under 1 year. | 1-5 | 5-20 | 20-40 | 40-60 | 60-80 | 80 and upwards. | |
| 3,176 | 425 | 10 | 32 | 50 | 137 | 58 | |
It will thus be seen that over 81 per cent. of the total deaths occurred among children
under 1 year of age, and over 92 per cent. among children under 5 years of age.
It will be seen from the following table that the London diarrhoea death rate was lower
than that of any of the undermentioned towns except Bristol, in the year 1901, and in the period
1891-1900 was lower than that of any except Bristol and Newcastle—
| Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. | Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.782 | 0872 | Nottingham | 1.17 | 1.51 |
| Manchester | 1.37 | 1.85 | Bradford | 0.90 | 0.89 |
| Liverpool | 1.36 | 1.95 | Hull | 1.53 | 1.80 |
| Birmingham | 1.27 | 1.47 | Salford | 1.61 | 1.91 |
| Leeds | 1.13 | 1.44 | West Ham | 1.09 | 1.95 |
| Sheffield | 1.40 | 2.11 | Leicester | 1.54 | 1.32 |
| Bristol | 0.66 | 0.45 | Newcastle | 0.77 | 1.24 |
The deaths and death rates per 1,000 living in the year 1901 in each of the metropolitan boroughs are shown in the following table—
| Metropolitan Borough. | Deaths, 1901. | Death rate per 1,000 living, 1901. | Metropolitan Borough. | Deaths, 1901. | Death rate per 1,000 living, 1901. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 116 | 0.81 | Bethnal-green | 117 | 0.90 |
| Kensington | 117 | 0.66 | Stepney | 298 | 1.00 |
| Hammersmith | 115 | 1.02 | Poplar | 213 | 1.26 |
| Fulham | 181 | 1.31 | Southwark | 222 | 1.08 |
| Chelsea | 38 | 0.52 | Bermondsey | 122 | 0.94 |
| Westminster, City of | 70 | 0.38 | Lambeth | 293 | 0.97 |
| St. Marylebone | 104 | 0.78 | Battersea | 202 | 1.20 |
| Hampstead | 26 | 0.32 | Wandsworth | 157 | 0.67 |
| St. Pancras | 195 | 0.83 | Camberwell | 204 | 0.79 |
| Islington | 198 | 0.59 | Deptford | 104 | 0.94 |
| Stoke Newington | 25 | 0.49 | Greenwich | 75 | 0.78 |
| Hackney | 179 | 0.82 | Lewisham | 104 | 0.81 |
| Holborn | 42 | 0.71 | Woolwich | 99 | 0.84 |
| Finsbury | 121 | 1.20 | Port of London | — | — |
| London, City of | 8 | 0.30 | London | 3,900 | 0.86l |
| Shoreditch | 155 | 1.31 |
' See footnote ('), page 0,
' See footnote (*), page 9,