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 1904
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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15
Principal Epidemic Diseases.
The number of deaths in the Administrative County of London from the principal epidemic
diseases, viz., smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, fever (including typhus,
enteric fever, and pyrexia1), and diarrhoea during 1904 (52 weeks) was 9,90G, giving an annual death
rate of 2" 14 per 1,000 living.
The death rates in successive periods have been as follows:—
| Period. | Death rate from principal epidemic diseases. | Period. | Death rate from principal epidemic diseases. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841-50 | 5.20 | 1891-1900 | |
| 1851-60 | 5.13 | 1901 | |
| 18G1-70 | 5.23 | 1902 | |
| 1871-80 | 3.86 | 1903 | 1.752 |
| 1881-90 | 3.05 | 1904 | 2.142 |
It will be seen from the following table that London in the decennium 1894-1903 had a lower death rate from these diseases than any of the undermentioned English towns, except Bristol, Bradford Nottingham and Newcastle, and in 1904 had a lower death-rate than any except Bristol, Newcastle and Leicester:—
| Towns. | 1894-1903. | 1904. | Towns. | 1894-1903. | 1904. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 2.513 | 2183 | Bradford | 1.93 | 2.42 |
| Liverpool | 3.28 | 4.66 | West Ham | 3.45 | 3.43 |
| Manchester | 3.20 | 3.09 | Hull | 2.93 | 3.52 |
| Birmingham | 2.93 | 3.42 | Nottingham | 2.45 | 2.58 |
| Leeds | 2.60 | 2.56 | Salford | 4.03 | 4.37 |
| Sheffield | 3.30 | 2.20 | Newcastle | 216 | 1.79 |
| Bristol | 1.93 | 1.64 | Leicester | 2.77 | 1.97 |
The. following table shows that the London death rate from the first six of these principal epidemic
diseases, viz., smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, and fever (including typhus,
enteric fever and pyrexia), was in the period 1894-1903 exceeded only by that of St. Petersburg, and
in 1904 was higher than that of any except Amsterdam, St. Petersburg and New York.
| Towns. | 1894-1903. | 1904. | Towns. | 1894-1903. | 1904. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1.733 | 1.143 | St. Petersburg | 3.22 | 2.33 |
| Paris | 0.88 | 0.69 | Berlin | 1.10 | 0.89 |
| Brussels | 0.73 | 0.40 | Vienna | 1.17 | 0.90 |
| Amsterdam | 0.77 | 1.40 | Rome | 1.04 | 1.03 |
| Copenhagen | 1.02 | 0.83 | New York | 1.43 | 1.39 |
| Stockholm | 1.03 | 0.54 |
The following table shows the deaths from the principal epidemic diseases and the death-rates per 1,000 living in each of the sanitary areas of the County in 1904, and the period 1901-3 :—
| Sanitary area. | Deaths in 1904. | Deatli-rate per 1,000 persons living. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-3. | 1904. | ||
| Paddington | 229 | 1.60 | 1.56 |
| Kensington | 256 | 1.62 | 1.45 |
| Hammersmith | 296 | 2.11 | 2.53 |
| Fulham | 379 | 272 | 2.49 |
| Chelsea | 110 | 1.49 | 1.49 |
| Westminster, City of | 153 | 1.20 | 0.87 |
| St. Marylebone | 197 | 1.75 | 1.51 |
| Hampstead | 57 | 0.80 | 0.66 |
| St. Pancras | 474 | 2.26 | 2.01 |
| Islington | 596 | 1.72 | 1.75 |
| Stoke Newington | 59 | 1.29 | 1.13 |
| Hackney | 481 | 1.96 | 2.13 |
| Holborn | 102 | 2.06 | 1.80 |
1 Origin uncertain. Originally described as simpls continued fever.
2 See footnote (') page 7.
3 See footnote (2) page 7.
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