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 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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15
It will be seen, from the foregoing table that the death-rate from the principal epidemic
diseases was highest in Poplar (2.97) and lowest in Hampstead (0.58). The death-rates from
these diseases in London during each of the four quarters of the year 1903 were as followfirst
quarter, 1.83; second quarter, 1.54; third quarter, 2.17; and fourth quarter, 1.48 per 1,000
living.
Smallpox and Vaccination.
The deaths from smallpox in the administrative county of London numbered 13 in 1903
(52 weeks), and 3 deaths were attributed to cowpox and effects of vaccination.
The death-rates from smallpox in successive periods have been as follows—
| Period. | Smallpox death-rate per 1,000 living. | Period. | Smallpox death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-60 | 0.28 | 1896 | 0.0021 |
| 1861-70 | 0.28 | 1897 | 0.0041 |
| 1871-80 | 0.46 | 1898 | 0.0001 |
| 1881-90 | 0.14 | 1899 | 0.0011 |
| 1891 | _ | 1900 | 0.0011 |
| 1892 | 0.0071 | 1901 | 0.0511 |
| 1893 | 0.0401 | 1902 | 0.2821 |
| 1894 | 0.0201 | 1903 | 0.0031 |
| 1895 | 0.0121 |
In this table where — is in&erted no deaths occurred.
The smallpox death-rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean smallpox deathrate
of the period 1841-1903 is shown in diagram V.
During the complete years in which the notification of infectious diseases has been obligatory, the number of cases of smallpox (uncorrected for errors in diagnosis) notified to the medical officers of health in the various sanitary districts comprised in the administrative county has been as follows—
| Year. | Cases notified. | Case-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 60 | 0.014 |
| 1891 | 114 | 0.027 |
| 1892 | 425 | 0.100 |
| 1893 | 2,815 | 0.653 |
| 1894 | 1,193 | 0.274 |
| 1895 | 980 | 0.223 |
| 1896 | 225 | 0.050 |
| 1897 | 104 | 0.023 |
| 1898 | 33 | 0.007 |
| 1899 | 29 | 0.006 |
| 1900 | 86 | 0.019 |
| 1901 | 1,700 | 0.375 |
| 1902 | 7,796 | 1.675 |
| 1903 | 416 | 0.090 |
If the London smallpox death-rate be compared with the death-rates of the following large
English towns, it will be seen that in the period 1893-1902 the London death-rate exceeded that
of any except Birmingham, Bradford, "West Ham and Hull, while in 1903 it was smaller than
the death-rates of all these towns except West Ham—
| Towns. | 1893-1902. | 1903. | Towns. | 1893-1902. | 1903. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.042 | Bradford | 0.07 | 0.04 | |
| Liverpool | 0.02 | 0.19 | West Ham | 0.11 | — |
| Manchester | 0.01 | 0.05 | Hull | 0.08 | 0.02 |
| Birmingham | 0.05 | 0.02 | Nottingham | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Leeds | 0.01 | 0.05 | Salford | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Sheffield | 0.00 | 0.01 | Newcastle | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Bristol | 0.02 | 0.01 | Leicester | 0.01 | 0.10 |
In this table 0.00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005; where no death occurred — is inserted.
The following table shows that the London smallpox death-rate in the period 1893-1902
was. higher than that of any of the undermentioned foreign towns except Paris, St. Petersburg
and New York, and in 1903 was exceeded by the rates of Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and
St. Petersburg—