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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The following table shows that the London diphtheria (including croup) death-rate in the
period 1893-1902 exceeded that of any of the undermentioned foreign towns except Stockholm,
St. Petersburg, and New York; and in 1903 was higher than that of any except Stockholm,
St. Petersburg, Vienna and New York—
| Towns. | 1893-1902. | 1903. | Towns. | 1893-1902. | 1903. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 0.89 | 0.48 | |||
| Paris | 0.23 | 0.15 | Berlin | 0.41 | 0.13 |
| Brussels | 0.13 | 0.10 | Vienna | 0.45 | 0.24 |
| Amsterdam | 0.17 | 0.11 | Rome | 0.10 | 0.07 |
| Copenhagen | 0.27 | 0.14 | New York | 0.66 | 0.59 |
| Stoikholm | 0.57 | 0.22 |
The following table shows the diphtheria cases, deaths and death-rates in 1903 and the case-rates in 1903, and the decennium 1893-1902 in the several metropolitan boroughs—
| Metropolitan borough. | Cases, 1903. | Case-rate per 1,000 living. | Deaths, 1903. | Death-rate per 1,000 living, 1903. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893-1902. | 1903. | ||||
| Paddington | 150 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 15 | 0.10 |
| Kensington | 180 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 24 | 0.13 |
| Hammersmith | 166 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 17 | 0.15 |
| Fulham | 294 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 24 | 0.16 |
| Chelsea | 98 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.05 |
| Westminster, City of | 186 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 15 | 0.08 |
| St. Marylebone | 228 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 26 | 0.20 |
| Hampstead | 86 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 10 | 0.12 |
| St. Pancras | 522 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 37 | 0.16 |
| Islington | 458 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 42 | 0.12 |
| Stoke Newington | 40 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 7 | 0.13 |
| Hackney | 545 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 48 | 0.21 |
| Holborn | 52 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 8 | 0.14 |
| Finsbury | 129 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 11 | 0.11 |
| London, City of | 27 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.08 |
| Shoreditch | 154 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 22 | 0.19 |
| Bethnal.green | 242 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 27 | 0.21 |
| Stepney | 543 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 58 | 0.19 |
| Poplar | 425 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 60 | 0.35 |
| Southwark | 354 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 23 | 0.11 |
| Bermondsey | 174 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 18 | 0.14 |
| Lambeth | 346 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 29 | 0.09 |
| Battersea | 314 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 29 | 0.17 |
| Wandsworth | 532 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 44 | 0.18 |
| Camberwell | 365 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 34 | 0.13 |
| Deptford | 456 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 45 | 0.40 |
| Greenwich | 208 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 27 | 0.27 |
| Lewisham | 278 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 21 | 0.15 |
| Woolwich | 184 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 13 | 0.11 |
| Port of London | 2 | — | — | — | — |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the diphtheria death.rate in 1903 was highest
in Deptford (0.40) and lowest in Chelsea (0.05). The diphtheria death-rate in London in each
of the four quarters of 1903 was as follows—First quarter, 0 21; second quarter, 0-15, third
quarter, 0-13; and fourth quarter, 0-16 per 1,000 living.
To enable the variations in diphtheria prevalence in the several metropolitan boroughs
to be more clearly appreciated the following table has been prepared. This table shows the comparative
case-rates of each borough in each of the years 1891-1903 inclusive, i.e., the case-rates
of each borough are shown in relation to the London case-rate of the same year, the London rate
being taken as 100—
1 See footnote 2), page 7.
2 See footnote (1), page 7.