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 1910

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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26
Annual Report of the London- County Council, 1910.

Table: The following table shows that the London death-rate from six of these principal epidemic diseases, viz.: smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria (including croup), whooping-cough and enteric fever was, in the quinquennium 1905-9, higher than the death-rates of all the undermentioned foreign towns except St. Petersburg and New York, and in 1910, was higher than that of all except Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Rome.

The following table shows that the London death-rate from six of these principal epidemic diseases, viz.: smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria (including croup), whooping-cough and enteric fever was, in the quinquennium 1905-9, higher than the death-rates of all the undermentioned foreign towns except St. Petersburg and New York, and in 1910, was higher than that of all except Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Rome.

Town.1905-9.1910.Town.1905-9.1910.
London1.01a0.93aSt. Petersburg3.162.72
Paris0.510.60Berlin0.840.81
Brussels0.490.48Vienna0.780.69
Amsterdam0.840.46Rome0.971.45
Copenhagen0.660.51New York1.020.90
Stockholm0.561.16

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Six principal
epidemic
diseases in
foreign
towns.

Table: The following table shows the deaths from the principal epidemic diseases and the death-rates per 1,000 persons living in each of the sanitary districts of the County in 1910, and the death-rates for theperiod 1905-9:—

The following table shows the deaths from the principal epidemic diseases and the death-rates per 1,000 persons living in each of the sanitary districts of the County in 1910, and the death-rates for the

period 1905-9:—

Metropolitan borough.Deaths, 1910 (52 weeks).Death-rate per 1,000 persons living.
1905-9.1910.
Paddington1641.161.15
Kensington1411.220.82
Hammersmith1701.601.41
Fulham2042.231.34
Chelsea491.440.73
Westminster, City of780.720.48
St. Marylebone1161.040.97
Hampstead440.550.52
St. Pancras3301.331.50
Islington4321.361.32
Stoke Newington310.980.61
Hackney2021.540.91
Holborn491.190.98
Finsbury1822.492.05
London, City of80.660.40
Shoreditch2172.831.94
Bethnal Green1922.271.50
Stepney4142.471.47
Poplar2592.551.59
Southwark4272.102.21
Bermondsey3102.382.46
Lambeth3221.441.08
Battersea2091.631.25
Wandsworth1851.210.61
Camberwell3081.431.18
Deptford1761.721.61
Greenwich1581.531.65
Lewisham1001.030.63
Woolwich821.260.68
London5,5591.601.23

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It will be seen from the foregoing table that the death-rate from the principal epidemic diseases
in the period 1905-9 was highest in Shoreditch (2.83) and lowest in Hampstead (0.55), and in 1910
was highest in Bermondsey (2.46) and lowest in the City of London (0.40). The death-rates from
these diseases during each of the four quarters of the year were as follows: First quarter, 107 ;
second quarter, 115; third quarter, 1.22; and fourth quarter, 1.48 per 1,000 persons living. The
abnormally high death-rate in the last quarter was mainly due to the high mortality from
measles.
Smallpox and Vaccination.
Six cases of smallpox are known to have occurrred in the Administrative County of London
during the year 1910, none of which was fatal ; one death was attributed to cowpox.
(a) See footnote (c), page 8.