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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The following table shows that the London whooping cough death-rate exceeded the deathrates
of all the undermentioned foreign towns both in the period 1892-1901, and in the year
1902—
| Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. | Towns. | 1892-1901. | 1902. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0 .471 | 0.401 | St. Petersburg | 0.23 | 0.16 |
| Paris | 0.14 | 0.18 | Berlin | 0.29 | 0.27 |
| Brussels | 0.15 | 0.10 | Vienna | 0.09 | 0.12 |
| Amsterdam | 0.28 | 0.23 | Rome | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| Copenhagen | 0.35 | 0.31 | New Fork | 0.18 | 0.16 |
| Stockholm | 0.19 | 0.18 |
The following table shows the deaths from whooping cough and the death-rates in the several metropolitan boroughs during the year 1902—
| Metropolitan borough. | Deaths in 1902. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | Metropolitan borough. | Deaths in 1902. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 23 | 0.16 | Shoreditch | 76 | 0.63 |
| Kensington | 21 | 0.12 | Bethnal-green | 89 | 0.67 |
| Hammersmith | 27 | 0.23 | Stepney | 199 | 0.65 |
| Fulham | 65 | 0.45 | Poplar | 99 | 0.58 |
| Chelsea | 14 | 0.19 | Southwark | 114 | 0.54 |
| Westminster, City of | 34 | 0.19 | Bermondsey | 69 | 0.52 |
| St. Marylebone | 23 | 0.17 | Lambeth | 118 | 0.38 |
| Hampstead | 10 | 0.12 | Battersea | 63 | 0.36 |
| St. Pancras | 113 | 0.47 | Wandsworth | 64 | 0.26 |
| Islington | 156 | 0.46 | Camberwell | 110 | 0.41 |
| Stoke Newington | 14 | 0.27 | Deptford | 41 | 0.36 |
| Hackney | 92 | 0.41 | Greenwich | 20 | 0.20 |
| 27 | 0.45 | Lewisham | 65 | 0.48 | |
| Finsbury | 75 | 0.73 | Woolwich | 51 | 0.42 |
| London, City of | 4 | 0.15 | London | 1,876 | 0.402 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the whooping cough death-rate was highest
in Finsbury (0-73) and lowest in Kensington and Hampstead (012). The whooping cough deathrate
in London in each of the four quarters of the year 1902 were as follows—first quarter 0.41;
second quarter 0*47; third quarter 0-41; and fourth quarter 0-34 per 1,000 living.
Typhus.
No deaths from typhus in the administrative county of London occurred during the year
1902. The death-rates from this disease in 1902 and previous periods were as follows—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living | Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871-80 | .055 | 1896 | .0012 |
| 1881-90 | .008 | 1897 | .0002 |
| 1891 | .0022 | 1898 | .0012 |
| 1892 | .0032 | 1899 | .0002 |
| 1893 | .0012 | 1900 | .0002 |
| 1894 | .0012 | 1901 | .0012 |
| 1895 | .0012 | 1902 | - |
| In this table 000 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of '0005. Where — is inserted no death occurred. | |||
The death-rate in each year since 1808 in relation to the mean death-rate of the period
18G9-1902 is shown in diagram XVI.
Four persons were certified to be suffering from this disease during the year residing
in the following districts—Stepney one case, Bermondsey one case, Wandsworth one case and
Camberwell one case.
1 See footnote ('), page 13.2 See footnote ('), page 12.
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