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 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. | Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham | 0.20 | 0.10 | |||
| Manchester | 0.23 | 0.26 | Bradford | 0.20 | 0.16 |
| Liverpool | 0.30 | 0.45 | Hull | 0.17 | 0.07 |
| Birmingham | 0.18 | 0.54 | Salford | 0.39 | 0.22 |
| Leeds | 0.17 | 0.12 | West Ham | 0.18 | 0.16 |
| Sheffield | 0.19 | 0.13 | Leicester | 0.21 | 0.06 |
| Bristol | 0.12 | 0.19 | Newcastle | 0.13 | 0.26 |
The following table shows that the London scarlet fever death-rate was lower than that of
any of the undermentioned foreign towns except Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rome in the
period 1892-1901, while in 1902 it exceeded that of any except St. Petersburg, Berlin, Vienna and
New York.
| Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. | Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 0.62 | 0.37 | |||
| Paris | 0.06 | 0.05 | Berlin | 0.27 | 0.15 |
| Brussels | 0.05 | 0.01 | Vienna | 0.20 | 0.16 |
| Amsterdam | 0.03 | 0.00 | Rome | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Copenhagen | 0.21 | 0.04 | New York | 0.25 | 0.26 |
| Stockholm | 0.34 | 0.04 |
The following table shows the death-rate from scarlet fever in 1902, and the case-rates in 1902 and the decennium 1892-1901 in the several metropolitan boroughs—
| Metropolitan Borough. | Cases, 1902. | Case-rate per 1,000 living. | Deaths, 1902. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. 1902. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892-1901. | 1902. | ||||
| Paddington | 364 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 9 | 0.06 |
| Kensington | 378 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 21 | 0.12 |
| Hammersmith | 353 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.06 |
| Fulham | 553 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 19 | 0.13 |
| Chelsea | 204 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 8 | 0.11 |
| Westminster, City of | 475 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 15 | 0.08 |
| St. Marylebone | 414 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 14 | 0.10 |
| Hampstead | 254 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.08 |
| St. Pancras | 1,219 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 49 | 0.20 |
| Islington | 1,379 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 40 | 0.12 |
| Stoke Newington | 202 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.10 |
| Hackney | 883 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 15 | 0.07 |
| Holborn | 203 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.13 |
| Finsbury | 392 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 15 | 0.15 |
| London, City of | 83 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 1 | 0.04 |
| Shoreditch | 250 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 8 | 0.07 |
| Bethnal-green | 529 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 19 | 0.14 |
| Stepney | 1,069 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 30 | 0.10 |
| Poplar | 670 | 5.5 | 3.9 | 21 | 0.12 |
| Southwark | 1,099 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 42 | 0.20 |
| Bermondsey | 506 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 18 | 0.14 |
| Lambeth | 1,354 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 48 | 0.15 |
| Battersea | 893 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 24 | 0.14 |
| Wandsworth | 1,080 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 23 | 0.09 |
| Camberwell | 1,390 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 41 | 0.15 |
| Deptford | 648 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 19 | 0.17 |
| Greenwich | 463 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.06 |
| Lewisham | 662 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 19 | 0.14 |
| Woolwich | 279 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 9 | 0.07 |
| Port of London | 4 | - | - | - | - |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the scarlet fever death-rate in 1902 was
highest in St. Pancras and Southwark (0.20), and lowest in the City of London (0.04). The scarlet
1 See footnote (1), page 13.
2 See footnote (1), page 12.
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