London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Leyton 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
This page requires JavaScript
53
Deaths registered in the County of London during the week
ended 13th December totalled 2,484, whereas in the previous week
the total was 945; and for each million inhabitants of London the
rate of "excess of deaths over normal" was 445—a figure which
is 202 greater than the comparable death rate during the week
after the great fog of December, 1873; and 19 greater than when
the cholera epidemic was at its worst in 1866.
I submit hereunder a Table showing the weekly totals of deaths in the County of London following the dates of the densest fogs of which records are available.
| Year | Dates of Dense Fog | Deaths Weekly Totals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873 | Dee. 9—11 | Dec. 13 1,759 | Dec. 20 2,415 | Dec. 27 1,540 | Jan. 3 1,842 |
| 1880 | Jan. 26—29 | Jan. 31 2,200 | Feb. 7 3,376 | Feb. 14 2,495 | Feb. 21 2,016 |
| 1892 | Dec. 28—30 | Dec. 31 1,830 | Jan. 7 2,509 | Jan. 14 2,503 | Jan. 21 2,101 |
| 1948 | Nov. 26—Dec. 1 | Nov. 27 779 | Dec. 4 1,019 | Dec. 11 944 | Dec. 18 891 |
| 1952 | Dec. 5—9 | Dec. 6 945 | Dec. 13 2,484 | Dec. 20 1,523 | Dec. 27 1,029 |
The ratio of deaths in the week of suddenly-increased mortality
to deaths in the previous week was 2.6 in the recent fog—a figure
almost double that registered in any of the previous great fogs.
In the Greater London area the five-day fog was responsible
for 4,000 deaths during the two following weeks, and the Minister
of Health has put the figure at 6,000 for the five weeks ended 3rd
January, 1953.
Most of the deaths were of people over 45 years of age; and
deaths of younger people did not show any great increase except in
infants under one year. It is to be hoped that the comparatively
greater effect of the fog in the very young and very old will not
divert attention from the damage caused to healthy people of
between these extremes. For instance, the case is recorded of a
healthy London policeman of 35 years who collapsed during the
fog and was admitted to hospital only in time for his life to be
saved by the administration of oxygen and treatment for shock.