London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
| Town. | 1896-1905. | 1906. | Town. | 1896-1905. | 1906. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.121 | 0.11 | St. Petersburg | 0.53 | 0.82 |
| Paris | 0.05 | 0.103 | Berlin | 0.22 | 0.14 |
| Brussels | 0.03 | 0.08 | Vienna | 0.14 | 0.13 |
| Amsterdam | 0.02 | 0.10 | Rome | 0.01 | - |
| Copenhagen | 0.10 | 0.01 | New York | 0.21 | 0.12 |
| Stockholm | 0.15 | 0.13 |
The following table shows the scarlet fever cases, deaths, case-rates, and death-rates for the year 1906, the case-rates for the decennium 1896-1903, and the death-rates for the period 1901-5 in the several sanitary districts of the County :—
| Sanitary area. | Notified cases, 1906. (52 weeks). | Case-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Deaths, 1906. (52 weeks) | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896-1905. | 1906. | 1901-1906. | 1906. | |||
| Paddington | 717 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 18 | 0.07 | 0.12 |
| Kensington | 470 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 11 | 0.09 | 0.06 |
| Hammersmith | 437 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 15 | 0.08 | 0.12 |
| Fulham | 674 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 18 | 0.10 | 0.11 |
| Chelsea | 271 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.08 | 0.12 |
| Westminster, City of | 537 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 14 | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| St. Marylebone | 396 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 14 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| Hampstead | 387 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| St. Pancras | 798 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 32 | 0.13 | 0.14 |
| Islington | 1,392 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 37 | 0.10 | 0.11 |
| Stoke Newington | 135 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1 | 0.06 | 0.02 |
| Hackney | 1,049 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 22 | 0.09 | 0.10 |
| Holborn | 138 | 3 4 | 2.5 | 3 | 0.07 | 0.05 |
| Finsbury | 449 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 15 | 0.16 | 0.15 |
| London, City of | 113 | 31 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.06 | 0.33 |
| Shoreditch | 627 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 19 | 0.13 | 0.16 |
| Bethnal Green | 650 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 22 | 0.18 | 0.17 |
| Stepney | 1,219 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 37 | 0.12 | 012 |
| Poplar | 571 | 41 | 3.4 | 13 | 0.12 | 0.08 |
| Southwark | 1,470 | 4.4 | 7.0 | 45 | 0.15 | 0.22 |
| Bermondsey | 990 | 4.9 | 7.7 | 29 | 0.19 | 0.23 |
| Lambeth | 1,264 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 28 | 0.10 | 0.09 |
| Battersea | 1,048 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 24 | 0.09 | 0.13 |
| Wandsworth | 1,069 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 19 | 0.08 | 0.07 |
| Camberwell | 1,161 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 25 | 0.11 | 0.09 |
| Deptford | 643 | 50 | 5.6 | 15 | 0.13 | 0.13 |
| Greenwich | 567 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 17 | 0.06 | 0.16 |
| Lewisham | 557 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 14 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Woolwich | 525 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.07 | 0.04 |
| Port of London | 5 | — | - | - | ||
| London | 20,329 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 533 | 0.112 | 0.112 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the scarlet fever death-rate was in the period 1901-5
highest in Bermondsey (0.19) and lowest in Hampstead (0.05), and in the year 1906 was highest in
the City of London (0.33) and lowest in Stoke Newington (0.02). The scarlet fever death-rates
obtaining in London in the four quarters of the year 1906 were as follows:—first quarter,
0.11; second quarter 0.12 ; third quarter, 0.09 ; and fourth quarter, 0.13 per 1,000 persons living.
In relation to the number of cases in the preceding year 1905, there was increases in 1906 in
all the western districts except Fulham, and in all the northern districts except St. Pancras and
Hackney. Of the central and eastern districts there was decrease in all except the City; and of
the southern districts there was increase in all except Wandsworth, Camberwell, Lewisham and
Woolwich; the greatest increase was manifested in Southwark, and Bermondsey had the highest
case-rate in the year.
Scarlet Fever and Elementary Schools.
The summer holiday of the London County Council schools began in 1906 on Thursday, the
26th July, i.e., the latter part of the 30th week, and the schools re-opened on Monday, the 27th
August, i.e., at the beginning of the 35th week. If the number of cases notified in the four weeks
1 See footnote (1) page 8.
2 See footnote (2) page 7.