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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periods. Diarrhoea, tuberculosis and measles were responsible for most of these
deaths. Measles, whooping cough, tuberculosis and diphtheria were the chief causes
of death in the 1 to 5 years age group. Altogether of the 762 deaths 406 were of
children under five years of age. Taking the total mortality of children under five
years from all causes, 41 percent. resulted from the infectious diseases and mainly
from those mentioned above After the age of five years the deaths from infectious
diseases rapidly decline in number, and they remain few until the 25 to 35 years
group is reached, when there is an increase in the number, which continues at a
higher level until the 55 to 65 years group is reached. The number then gradually
declines. The rise in the latter half of life is due mainly to consumption.
Deaths from small-pox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, including membranous
croup, whooping cough, enteric fever and diarrhoea are grouped together, and the
death-rate due to them is termed the zymotic death-rate. In 1903 the deaths from
these diseases numbered 324, the zymotic death-rate being 2.8 per 1,000 inhabitants
as compared with 3.6 in 1902, 2.9 in 1901, 3.1 in 1900, 3.6 in 1899, 4.1 in 1898, 4.2
in 1897, 4.3 in 1896, and 3.8 in 1895. A comparison of the zymotic death-rates of
London and Shoreditch with its registration sub-districts is contained in Table VI.
(see Appendix).
The cases of notifiable infectious diseases certified during 1903, excluding 39 cases
of chicken pox which remained notifiable in Shoreditch until the end of February,numbered 664.
The number of cases certified each year from 1889 together with the attack-rate per 1,000 population are as contained in the following Table:—
| Year. | Number of oases. | Attack-rate per 1,000 inhabitants. |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 1158 | 9.4 |
| 1891 | 862 | 7.0 |
| 1892 | 1478 | 12.0 |
| 1893 | 1987 | 16.2 |
| 1894 | 1104 | 9.0 |
| 1895 | 1157 | 9.4 |
| 1896 | 1473 | 12.1 |
| 1897 | 1331 | 10.9 |
| 1898 | 960 | 7.8 |
| 1899 | 1116 | 9.2 |
| 1900 | 989 | 8.1 |
| 1901 | 1146 | 9.8 |
| 1902 | 1239 | 10.5 |
| 1903 | 664 | 5.6 |
The cases of notifiable infectious disease certified in the Metropolis numbered
some 27,686, which gives a rate of attack of 6.0 per 1,000 population. In view of the
fact that Shoreditch is one of the most densely populated areas in the Metropolis, it is
satisfactory to note that the attack-rate in the Borough was so low, and it may be
remarked that the cases of infectious disease notified in 1903 were fewer than in any
year since the notification of infectious disease became compulsory.