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 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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12
Measles.
Measles was epidemic during the winter of 1926 and caused 933 deaths, giving
a death rate of .20 as compared with .07 in 1925. The death-rates in the metropolitan
boroughs are shown in the table on page 28.
Whoopingcough.
There were 231 deaths from whooping-cough in London during 1926, the
lowest number recorded in any year except 1923, when there were 432 deaths.
The death-rate was 0.5 per thousand as compared with .19 in 1925.
Scarlet
Fever.
There were 12,293 cases of scarlet fever notified in 1926 (52 weeks), the corresponding
figure for 1925 being 12,215. The attack-rate was 2.7 per thousand,
the same as in 1925. In the rest of England and Wales the corresponding
figures were 2.1 and 2.3 respectively. The deaths numbered 83, giving a death-rate
of .02, the same as in 1925.
Diphtheria..
The notified cases of diphtheria numbered 13,526 in 1926 (52 weeks) as compared
with 12,472 in 1925. This gives an attack-rate of 2.9 per thousand as compared
with 2.7 in the preceding year. The London attack-rate is considerably higher
than that for the rest of England and Wales, which was 1.3 per thousand. Of the
total cases, 6,832, notified in 1926, 51 per cent., were among children aged 5 to 15,
while the deaths were 209, giving a case-mortality for this age period of 3.1 per
cent. The total deaths numbered 547, the death-rate being .12 as against .11 in 1925.
Diphtheria
case-
mortality.
The case-mortality from diphtheria has decreased remarkably since 1922. Before
the introduction of antitoxin in 1894 the case-mortality was between 22 and 23
per cent. The subsequent decrease is shown in the following table giving the average
rate in four-year periods:—
Period. Case-mortality per cent. Period. Case-mortality per cent.
1895-98 17.8 1911-14 7.0
1899-02 12.2 1915-18 7.4
1903-06 9.2 1919-22 7.4
1907-10 8.7 1923-26 4.7
In order to illustrate the effect of this decrease in case-mortality, the deaths which would have occurred on the rate of the preceding seven years is compared with the actual deaths in 1923-26 in the following table:—
| Year. | Cases notified. | Calculated deaths (7.42 per cent.) | Actual deaths. | Reduction in deaths due to decreased case-mortality. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 15,247 | 1,131 | 1,129 | 2 |
| 1923 | 10,301 | 1,131 | 1,129 | 2 |
| 1922 | 15,247 | 764 | 595 | 169 |
| 1924 | 10,684 | 792 | 564 | 228 |
| 1925 | 12,472 | 925 | 493 | 432 |
| 1926 | 13,526 | 1,003 | 526 | 477 |
The deaths given in this table relate to a year commencing one week later than
that to which the notified cases refer, to allow for the lapse of time between notification
and death. The table shows that the deaths in 1926 were reduced by nearly one-half
and that the total reduction in deaths in the four years 1923-26 amounts to 1,306.