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
Shoreditch 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
This page requires JavaScript
13
20.7 in 1910, 30.8 in 1909, and 30.7 in 1908. As compared with the figure for 1911,
the decrease in 1912 is to be accounted for by the markedly few deaths from diarrhoea.
Deaths from consumption show an increase on the figure for 1911, otherwise there
is nothing of importance to comment upon as regards the mortality from the other
infectious diseases. The deaths from consumption and the other forms of tuberculosis
amounted to nearly 50 per cent. of the total number of deaths from infectious
diseases, and of the remainder measles, whooping cough, and diarrhoea accounted
for the greater number. The death-rate from these infectious diseases was 5.3 per
1,000 inhabitants as compared with 6.1 in 1911, 4.5 in 1910, 5.9 in 1909, 5.4 in
1908, 6.5 in 1907, 6.7 in 1906, 6.2 in 1905, 6.8 in 1904, and 6.5 in 1903. The rate
was therefore markedly below the average for previous years.
In the subjoined table the deaths from the infectious diseases referred to above have been grouped according to age:—
| Age period. | Under 1 | 1-5 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-20 | 20-25 | 25-35 | 35-45 | 45-55 | 55-65 | 65-75 | 75-85 | 85 and upwards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 110 | 198 | 25 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 44 | 72 | 51 | 31 | 11 | 5 | .. |
The above shows that the majority of the deaths were of children under 5
years of age. Of the total number of deaths of children under 5 years of age from
all causes, nearly 40 per cent. resulted from the infectious diseases referred to as
compared with 42 per cent. in 1911, 35 in 1910, 43 in 1909, 40 in 1908 and 42 in
1907. In infants under the age of 1 year, measles, whooping cough, diarrhoea,
and tuberculosis accounted for most of the deaths. Amongst children aged from
1 to 5 years, measles was the most active cause of death, but whooping cough,
diphtheria, and tuberculosis also caused many deaths. The chief cause of the mortality
from infectious diseases amongst persons aged 20 years and upwards was consumption.
The deaths from the principal zymotic diseases—namely, small pox, measles
scarlet fever, diphtheria, including membranous croup, whooping cough, enteric
fever and diarrhoea—numbered 235 as compared with 349 in 1911 and 217 in 1910.
The death-rate due to these diseases, which is termed the zymotic death-rate, was
2.1 per 1,000 population as compared with 3.2 in 1911, 1.9 in 1910, 2.7 in 1909,
1.9 in 1908, 2.9 in 1907, 3.1 in 1906, 2.8 in 1905, 3.2 in 1904, 2.8 in 1903, 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,
3.8 in 1895, 2.8 in 1894 and 4.7 in 1893.
The zymotic death-rate was therefore markedly below the average for previous
years. A comparison of the zymotic death-rates of London and Shoreditch and the