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 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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months of August, September, and October. The deaths from diarrhoea in the .
Metropolis were at the rate of 0.64 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with 0.53 in
1902, and 0.85 in 1901.
In the subjoined Table is contained a comparison of the mortalities from diarrhoea in Shorediteh and London of infants under one year per 1,000 births during the years 1895 to 1902 inclusive.
| Year | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 |
| Shorediteh | 30.5 | 28.7 | 38.2 | 38.9 | 39.7 | 35.7 | 3.15 | 27.0 |
| London | 20.7 | 18.9 | 24.2 | 26.1 | 25.0 | 21.8 | 24.1 | 14.5 |
During 1903, the mortality from diarrhoea amongst infants under one year in
Shorediteh was at the rate of 30.5 per 1,000 births.
MEASLES.
The above destructive disorder accounted for 99 death, 48 of males, and 51 of
females, all of children under ten years of age. Seven of the deaths belonged to
Shorediteh South fifty to Hoxton New Town, seventeen to Hoxton Old Town, and
25 to Haggerston. The disease was most fatal in the New Town registration subdistrict.
The deaths in the Borough were at the rate of 0.85 per 1,000 inhabitants, as
compared with 0.72 in 1902, 0.64 in 1901, 0.63 in 1900, 0.69 in 1899, 0.83 in 1898,
and 0.91 in 1897. The rates for previous years are given in the report for 1901,
The deaths from measles during 1903 were most numerous in the months of March,
April, May and June. The most deaths in any one month occurred in June. The
fewest deaths occurred during the taree months September, October and November.
The deaths from measles in London during 1903 numbered 2,046, and the deathrate
was 0.44 per 1,000 inhabitants.
Early in the year an order was made by the London County Council applying to
measles in the administrative county of London, the provisions of sections 60, 61, 62,
63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73 and 74, of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
This order, duly approved by the Local Government Board, came into operation on
April 1st of the year under consideration. The sections mentioned relate to dangerous
infectious disease, and deal with the cleansing and disinfection of premises, bedding,
and other articles, and other measures for the prevention of the spread of infection.
Measles, although for the purposes of these sections classed amongst the dangerous
infectious diseases—and it undoubtedly is a dangerous infectious disease—is not a
notifiable disease, nor are cases of it receivable into the fever hospitals of the
Metropolitan Asylums Board.