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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Report of the Medical Officer' of Health.
37
Cases certified to be those of scarlet fever and admitted into the hospitals of the Metropolitan
| Year. | Percentage. | Year. | Percentage. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 5.6 | 1906 | 4.9 |
| 1902 | 4.7 | 1907 | 6.8 |
| 1903 | 6.4 | 1908 | 5.8 |
| 1904 | 6.7 | 1909 | 6.9 |
| 1905 | 5.4 | 1910 | 9.5 |
Diphtheria.
The cases of diphtheria (including membranous croup) notified in the Administrative County of
London in 1910 (52 weeks) numbered 5,494, compared with 6,679 in 1909 (52 weeks). The number
of deaths was 434 in 1910 (52 weeks), compared with 605 in 1909 (52 weeks;.
It is well to bear in mind that the case-rate and case-mortality may be affected by variations
in the extent of use of bacteriological methods of diagnosis, the effect of which is to increase the
notified number of clinically mild cases of the disease.
The diphtheria case-rates, death-rates, and case-mortality in 1910, and preceding periods, are shown in the following table :—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Case-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Case-mortality per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861-1870 | 0.18 | ||
| 1871-1880 | 0.12 | ||
| 1881-1890 | 0.26 | —–a | |
| 1891-1900 | 0.49b | 2.6 | 18.8 |
| 1901-1910 | 0.17b | 1.8 | 9.3 |
| 1901 | 0.29b | 2.7 | 10.9 |
| 1902 | 0.25b | 2.3 | 10.8 |
| 1903 | 0.16b | 1.7 | 9.6 |
| 1904 | 0.16b | 1.6 | 10.0 |
| 1905 | 0.12b | 1.4 | 8.4 |
| 1906 | 0.15b | 1.8 | 8.6 |
| 1907 | 0.17b | 1.9 | 8.9 |
| 1908 | 0.16b | 1.7 | 9.0 |
| 1909 | 0.13b | 1.5 | 9.1 |
| 1910 | 0.10b | 1.2 | 7.9 |
The death-rate in each year since 1858 in relation to the mean death-rate of the period 18591910
is shown for diphtheria and also for diphtheria and croup combined in diagram (M). It will be
observed that the death-rate from diphtheria and croup of 1910 was lower even than that of 1905,
being the lowest recorded in London.
The case-rate and case-mortality were the lowest recorded in London.
The monthly case-rate and case-mortality in each of the years 1891-1910 in relation to the mean
of the period is shown in diagram (0).
If the London diphtheria death-rate be compared with the death-rates of the following large English towns it will be seen that in the quinquennium 1905-9 the London rate was exceeded by that of all except that of Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester, and in 1910 was exceeded by the rates of all except Sheffield and Leicester.
| Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. | 1 Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.15b | 0.10b | West Ham | 0.23 | 0.17 |
| Greater London | 0.16 | 0.10 | Bradford | 0.19 | 0.13 |
| Liverpool | 0.18 | 0.13 | Newcastle on-Tyne | 0.20 | 0.15 |
| Manchester | 0.18 | 0.14 | Hull | 0.30 | 0.17 |
| Birmingham | 0.18 | 0.12 | Nottingham | 0.15 | 0.12 |
| Leeds | 0.14 | 0.15 | Salford | 0.41 | 0.22 |
| Sheffield | 0.12 | 0.08 | Leicester | 0.07 | 0.05 |
| Bristol | 0.18 | 0.18 |
(a) The Infectious Disease (Notification) Act came into force in 1889.
(b) See footnote (c), page 8.
Diphtheria
death-rates
in large
English
towns.