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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27
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
The death-rates from smallpox in successive periods have been as follows:—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841-1850 | 0.402 | 1902 | 0.284ft |
| 1851-1860 | 0.280 | 1903 | 0.003ft |
| 1861-1870 | 0.276 | 1904 | 0.005ft |
| 1871-1880 | 0.457 | 1905 | 0.002ft |
| 1881-1890 | 0.142 | 1906 | - |
| 1891-1900 | 0.009a | 1907 | - |
| 1901-1910 | 0.035a | 1908 | - |
| 1909 | 0.000a | ||
| 1901 | 0.051a | 1910 | - |
The smallpox death-rate, in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean death-rate during
the period 1841-1910 is shown in diagram (E).
During the complete years in which the notification of infectious diseases has been obligatory, the number of cases of smallpox (uncorrected for errors in diagnosis) notified to the medical officers of health in the various sanitary districts comprised in the Administrative County has been as follows:—
| Year. | Cases of smallpox notified. | Case-rate per 1,000persons living. |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 60 | 0.014 |
| 1891 | 114 | 0.027 |
| 1892 | 425 | 0.100 |
| 1893 | 2,815 | 0.653 |
| 1894 | 1,193 | 0.274 |
| 1895 | 980 | 0.223 |
| 1896 | 225 | 0 .050 |
| 1897 | 104 | 0.023 |
| 1898 | 33 | 0.007 |
| 1899 | 29 | 0.006 |
| 1900 | 86 | 0.019 |
| 1901 | 1,700 | 0.375 |
| 1902 | 7,796 | 1.683 |
| 1903 | 416 | 0.091 |
| 1904 | 489 | 0.107 |
| 1905 | 74 | 0.016 |
| 1906 | 31 | 0.007 |
| 1907 | 8 | 0.002 |
| 1908 | 4 | 0.001 |
| 1909 | 21 | 0.005 |
| 1910 | 7 | 0.002 |
It will be seen from the following table that in the quinquennium 1905-9 only two of the undermentioned towns, namely Bristol and Hull, had a rate of 0.001 per 1,000. while in 1910, one death only occurred in Sheffield, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Hull and Nottingham.
| Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. | Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.00a | - | West Ham | - | - |
| Greater London | 0.00 | - | Bradford | 0.00 | - |
| Liverpool | 0.00 | - | Newcastle-on-Tyne | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Manchester | - | - | Hull | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Birmingham | 0.00 | - | Nottingham | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Leeds | 0.00 | - | Salford | - | - |
| Sheffield | - | 0.00 | Leicester | - | - |
| Bristol | 0.01 | - |
Smallpox
death-rates
in large
English
towns.
5170
In this table 0.00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005; where no death occurred — is
inserted.
(a) See footnote (c), page 8.
C 2