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 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| School Medical Division and Metropolitan Borough. | December, 4 weeks. | January, 4 weeks. | February, 4 weeks. | March, 5 weeks. | April, 4 weeks. | May, 4 weeks. | June, 4 weeks. | Total, 29 weeks. | Approximate rate per 1,000 children in average attendance (1027-28). | Rate per 1,000 above or below mean for London. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. | ||||||||||
| Stepney | 362 | 353 | 550 | 643 | 116 | 109 | 79 | 2,212 | 55 | —18 |
| Poplar | 180 | 109 | 155 | 313 | 51 | 79 | 64 | 951 | 38 | —35 |
| City of London | 1 | 42 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 103 | 64 | — 9 |
| Bethnal Green | 87 | 105 | 321 | 476 | 95 | 66 | 41 | 1,191 | 60 | —13 |
| Total | 630 | 609 | 1,059 | 1,452 | 267 | 255 | 185 | 4,457 | 51 | —22 |
| S.E. | ||||||||||
| Bermondsey | 288 | 347 | 401 | 219 | 66 | 83 | 53 | 1,457 | 71 | — 2 |
| Camber well | 182 | 356 | 807 | 760 | 187 | 213 | 208 | 2,713 | 76 | + 3 |
| Deptford | 2 | 29 | 124 | 615 | 238 | 160 | 91 | 1,259 | 93 | + 20 |
| Greenwich | 34 | 68 | 75 | 188 | 343 | 442 | 276 | 1,426 | 93 | +20 |
| Lewi sham | 23 | 56 | 316 | 424 | 157 | 274 | 333 | 1,583 | 71 | — 2 |
| Woolwich | 3 | 11 | 194 | 520 | 295 | 379 | 224 | 1,626 | 71 | _2 |
| Total | 532 | 867 | 1,917 | 2,726 | 1,286 | 1,551 | 1,185 | 10,064 | 79 | + 6 |
| S.W. | ||||||||||
| Southwark | 274 | 376 | 302 | 296 | 102 | 95 | 149 | 1,594 | 52 | —21 |
| Lambeth | 100 | 155 | 533 | 1,076 | 258 | 169 | 134 | 2,425 | 72 | — 1 |
| Battersea | 33 | 51 | 220 | 1,047 | 397 | 156 | 208 | 2,112 | 102 | +29 |
| Wandsworth | 65 | 99 | 478 | • 1,330 | 475 | 344 | 122 | 2,913 | 76 | + 3 |
| Total | 472 | 681 | 1,533 | 3,749 | 1,232 | 764 | 613 | 9,044 | 73 | — |
| London Total | 2,978 | 4,813 | 8,609 | 13,195 | 4,849 | 4,134 | 2,899 | 41,477 | 73 | — |
Mortality.—The epidemic on the whole was more virulent than its predecessor
of 1925-26. The deaths during the 6 months ended 31st May having numbered
1,357, as compared with 1,034 during 6 months (November to April) of 1925-26.
The following table shows the monthly distribution of deaths:—
| December (5 weeks). | January. | February. | March (5 weeks). | April. | May. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 96 | 163 | 200 | 450 | 309 | 139 | 1,357 |
Out of 1,357 deaths at all ages, 1,249 occurred among children under five years of age (see tabular statement below):—
| Age. | 0—1. | 1—2. | 2—5. | 5—15 | 15 and over. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 280 | 575 | 394 | 106 | 2 | 1,357 |
That a good deal of the loss of life due to measles can be prevented by energetic
and systematic action on the part of the public health authorities is evidenced
by the fact that considerable headway has been made in this direction in recent
years. The following table taken from my annual report for 1927 illustrates this
point. The two columns are not strictly comparable as the incidence relates
to school children only, whereas the deaths are those occurring among all persons,