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
Shoreditch 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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Diseases of the digestive organs resulted in 126 deaths ; 61 of these were due to
enteritis, and 54 were of children under the age of five yeirs ; most of them occurred
during the period summer diarrhoea was prevalent. There were 17 deaths from
peritonitis, 26 from cirrhosis of the liver, and 7 from other diseases of the liver.
Diseases of the urinary organs accounted for 52 deaths, 48 of which were due to
Bright's disease of the kidneys.
Constitutional diseases accounted for 93 deaths, including 7 from rheumatic
fever, 6 from diabetes, and 71 which were attributed to cancer There were in
addition to the deaths certified as due to cancer 16 deaths attributed to malignant
disease, some of which were doubtless due to cancer. The deaths and death-rate
caused by cancer in Shoreditch during the years 1893-98 are set out below
TABLE VIII.
| Year | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 67 | 80 | 62 | 57 | 62 | 71 |
| Death-rate per 1,000 population | 0.54 | 0.65 | 0.50 | 0.45 | 0.51 | 0.58 |
In the Metropolis 4,084 deaths were registered as caused by cancer, being a rate
of 0.90 per 1,000 inhabitants. Of the deaths from cancer in Shoreditch, 32 were of
males and 39 of females. The great majority of the deaths were amongst persons aged
between 35 and 70 years ; there were 9 deaths of persons over 70 years and one death
under 35 years.
Developmental diseases accounted for 237 deaths; 100 from debility at birth, and
115 from old age, 86 of these being of persons aged from 70 to 85, and 18 of persons
over 85 years.
Dietic diseases caused 17 deaths, one of which resulted through privation and
the rest from alcohol. Most of the deaths from cirrhosis of the liver and other liver
diseases, from Bright's disease of the kidneys, from apoplexy and insanity, and other
disorders are directly or indirectly attributable to the abuse of alcohol.
Deaths due to violence numbered 111, 99 of which were the result of accident or
negligence, including 18 fatalities through falls and 14 from burns and scalds ; 3 were
homicidal, in two cases murder was committed, and 9 were suicidal.
DEATHS IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
The numbers and distribution of deaths of parishioners and non-parishioners in
the public institutions within the parish, were as set forth in