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 1918

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

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Table: LONDON, Registered Weekly Deaths from Influenza, Pneumonia and Bronchitis During 1918 and 1919.

LONDON, Registered Weekly Deaths from Influenza, Pneumonia and Bronchitis During 1918 and 1919.

No. of Week.Week endedDeaths registered.No. of Week.Week endedDeaths registered.
Influenza.Pneumonia.Bronchitis.Influenza.Pneumonia.Bronchitis
19181918
15 Jan.132832493714 Sept.143834
212 „162352843821 „93840
319 „132242453928 „175548
426 „15177148405 Oct.178255
52 Feb.101321304112 „8013262
69 „31231514219 „37119596
716 „101261064326 „1,256278143
823 „8155118442 Nov.2,458522180
92 Mar.15140127459 „2,433539240
109 „91641534616 „1,665464236
1116 „141691214723 „1,178341251
1223 „161661304830 „942266227
1330 „12154121497 Dec.660176210
146 April161561245014 „322163119
1513 „20145995121 „186122128
1620 „11124795228 „95103107
1727 „111171171919
184 May3928414 Jan.65115136
1911 „79288211 „68112136
2018 „69565318 „4396138
2125 „69547425 „3394147
221 June5754751 Feb.58140157
238 „5753668 „100182226
2415 „55848715 „273264340
2522 „107248822 „653358421
2629 „67844791 Mar.808307336
276 July21814655108 „597218261
2813 „287197741115 „435158214
2920 „192132491222 „230124172
3027 „8689491329 „125118172
313 Aug.385034145 April91103166
3210 „2138311512 „10587159
3317 „2042251619 „71112129
3424 „1229271726 „438394
3531 „123534183 May4482102
367 Sept.1245231910 „297096

Text

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Commencement
and
duration of
the three
main
epidemic
prevalences.
With regard to the summer epidemic it should be noted that the first week in which the general
death rate in London showed increase was that ended 22nd Juno. This increase was, however, small
and not general throughout the county, being more noticeable in the south-eastern district than elsewhere.
There was no appreciable sign of decline in the attendance of school children in the Council's
schools until the following week, the decline then being rather more noticeable in South London.
Returns of sickness rates among adults do not show evidence of any epidemic influence until after the
middle of June. Two persons suffering from influenza were removed by the Council's ambulances from
the streets in the week ended 22nd June, and a case of pneumonia had been dealt with in the previous
week; cases of this kind afford a fairly reliable indication of the commencement of an extension of
influenza prevalence. The epidemic appears, in the light of the sickness rates among adults, and the
effect upon school attendance, to have reached a maximum about the end of the first week in July, and
by the middle of August it had practically run its course. The deaths from influenza did not, however,
fall to the normal for the time of year until influenza was again becoming epidemic towards the end
of September.
The first indications of the second or autumn epidemic, in the school attendance figures and in
sickness rates, appear in the week ended 5th October. In this week also one case of influenza was dealt
with by the Council's ambulance, the number of such cases thereafter increasing continuously up to the
end of the month. The school attendance figures indicate that the Northern and South Eastern
boroughs were affected rather earlier than other districts.
This epidemic apparently dates from the last days of September. From the figures above referred
to the maximum incidence appears to have been reached early in the last week of October, and consequently
the time elapsing between the commencement and maximum was in London practically the
same in both the summer and autumn epidemics, ramely between 3 and 4 weeks. The autumn
epidemic, however, continued to affect the school attendance until the end of the autumn session, but the