London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Marylebone 1898

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone]

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12
SANITARY CHRONICLES, 1898.
The curve generally shows that scarlet fever was well
below the average during 1898. The fatality of the
cases notified was 5.5 per cent.
DIPHTHERIA.
On the other hand, diphtheria was somewhat above
the average. The blue continuous curve in the chart
shows a well marked exacerbation in the second week of
May rapidly subsiding, and a more continuous rise in
September. Of the 217 cases notified, 31 died, showing
a fatality of a little over 14 per cent.
TYPHOID FEVER.
Typhoid fever was slightly above the average during
the year, as shown by the continuous black line on the
chart (opposite page). In November there was a decided
rise. The majority of the cases were, however, imported
into the parish, and to very few could a definite cause
be assigned.
TUBERCULOSIS.
Tubercle in its various forms, popularly classed
under the term "consumption," is a fair index of the
sanitary condition of a locality; it has a special relation
to cubic space and pure air. The district of St. Marylebone,
when compared with other districts of the
Metropolis, is one in which tubercle is about the average
of the whole of London. The districts of the Strand,
St. Saviour, Southwark, St. Luke, Westminster, St.
James, St. Pancras, St. Giles, St. Martin's, Holborn,
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, St. George-in
the-East, Limehouse, St. George, Southwark, Newington,
St. 01 ve, and Bermondsey, all show death-rates from
phthisis over 2 per thousand and some even over 3 per
thousand. Marylebone has had a phthisical death-rate
during the past year of less than 2 per thousand, and
taking an average of five years, slightly over 2 per
thousand. On the other hand, less crowded districts,
and those in which there is less poverty, show much
lower rates. The rate is unequalled distributed, as the
following table shows:—