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 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Measles- Mortality among children at ages 0-5 in sanitary areas-1907.
| Sanitary area. | Death-rate per 1,000 children living aged 0-5, 1907. | Sanitary area. | Death-rate per 1,000 children living aged 0-5, 1907. | Sanitary area. | Death-rate per 1,000 children living aged 0-5, 1907. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 2.63 | Stoke Newington | 1.22 | Bermondsey | 3.04 |
| Kensington | 2.13 | Hackney | 2.18 | Lambeth | 3.04 |
| Hammersmith | 3.94 | Holborn | 2.70 | Battersea | 3.01 |
| Fulham | 3.09 | Finsbury | 4.28 | Wandsworth | 2.02 |
| Chelsea | 6.30 | London, City of | 0.87 | Camberwell | 3.68 |
| Westminster, City of | 1.49 | Shoreditch | 8.13 | Deptford | 3.41 |
| St. Marylebone | 1.42 | Bethnal Green | 3.92 | Greenwich | 4.37 |
| Hampstead | 1.53 | Stepney | 3.47 | Lewisham | 0.80 |
| St. Pancras | 3.46 | Poplar | 4.13 | Woolwich | 4.13 |
| Islington | 3.40 | Southwark | 4.30 | London | 3.29 |
The mortality from measles in the several districts is in a large degree determined by the social
condition of the population. If London districts be grouped in relation to overcrowding,2 it is found
that the groups having the largest proportion of their population "overcrowded" have the
highest death-rates from measles. The following table shows the measles mortality under five years
of age in five groups of districts, arranged in order, according to the proportion of their population
living more than two in a room in tenements of less than five rooms:—
Meales-Deaths-rate per 1,000 persons living.
| Proportion of overcrowding 2 in groups of sanitary areas. | Measles death-rate at ages 0-5 years 1901-7, per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|
| Under 7.5 per cent. | 2.23 |
| 7.5 to 12.5 „ „ | 3.52 |
| 12.5 to 20.0 „ „ | 4.00 |
| 20 .0 to 27.5 „ „ | 4.60 |
| Over 27.5 „ „ | 4.48 |
If the London measles death-rate be compared with the death-rates of the following large
English towns, it will be seen that in the decennium 1897-1906 the London death-rate was exceeded
by the death-rates of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, West Ham and Salford, and in the year 1907,
was lower than that of any of these towns, except Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Bradford and
Leicester.
Measles- Deaths-rate per 1,000 persons living.
| Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907. | Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.471 | 0.381 | West Ham | 0.54 | 0.51 |
| Liverpool | 0.50 | 0.39 | Bradford | 0.32 | 0.17 |
| Manchester | 0.70 | 0.36 | Newcastle-on-Tyne | 0.39 | 0.44 |
| Birmingham | 0.43 | 0.57 | Hull | 0.44 | 0.66 |
| Leeds | 0.47 | 0.22 | Nottingham | 0.34 | 0.78 |
| Sheffield | 0.52 | 0.86 | Salford | 0.83 | 0.44 |
| Bristol | 0.44 | 0.09 | Leicester | 0.30 | 0.27 |
The following table shows that the London measles death-rate was, both in the decennium 18971906
and the year 1907, higher than those of any of the under-mentioned foreign towns, except St.
Petersburg:—
The following table shows that the London measles deaths-rate was, both in the decennium 1897-1906 and the year 1907, higher than those of any of the under-mentioned foreign towns , except St. Petersburg:-
Meals- Deaths -rate per 1,000 persons living.
| Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907. | Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0. 471 | 0.381 | St. Petersburg | 0.63 | 0.91 |
| Paris | 0.26 | 0.16 | Berlin | 0.22 | 0.19 |
| Brussels | 0.17 | 0.08 | Vienna | 0.41 | 0.31 |
| Amsterdam | 0.37 | 0.27 | Rome | 0.29 | 0.25 |
| Copenhagen | 0.17 | 0.18 | New York | 0.19 | 0.17 |
| Stockholm | 0.14 | 0.12 |
1 See footnote (1), page 8.
2 See footnote (1), page 19.