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
Woolwich 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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32. The following table gives the number of deaths and death-rates from measles for the past three years, and four preceding quinquennia in each parish, and the death-rate in London:—
| Year. | Woolwich. | Plumstead. | Eltham. | The Borough. | London | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aver. No. | Rate. | Aver. No. | Rate. | Aver. No. | Rate. | Aver. No. | Rate. | Rate. | |
| 1891-5 | 20 | 0.49 | 29 | 0.51 | Not recorded | 49 | 0.51 | 0.59 | |
| 1896-1900 | 34 | 0.91 | 36 | 0.57 | Not recorded | 70 | 0.67 | 0.57 | |
| 1901-5 | 9 | 0.22 | 15 | 0.22 | 1 | 0.13 | 26 | 0.21 | 0.44 |
| 1906-10 | 17 | 0.43 | 18 | 0.23 | 3 | 0.20 | 37 | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| 1911 | 7 | 0.19 | 17 | 0.24 | 4 | 0.30 | 23 | 0.23 | 0.57 |
| 1912 | 12 | 0.32 | 17 | 0.24 | 1 | 0.07 | 30 | 0.24 | 0.40 |
| 1913 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.04 | 3 | 0.21 | 9 | 0.07 | 0.34 |
The actual reduction in measles mortality is not quite so
large as appears from the above table, owing to the fact
that the falling birth-rate has caused a diminution in the
number of children living: under five years.
The following table giving the deaths and death-rate per 1,000 births shows the reduction more accurately:—
| No. | Rate. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1891-95 (average) | 49 | 14.7 |
| 1896-1900 „ | 70 | 20.9 |
| 1901-05 | 26 | 7.2 |
| 1906-10 „ | 37 | 11.8 |
| 1911 | 28 | 10.0 |
| 1912 | 30 | 10.9 |
| 1913 | 9 | 3.1 |
It appears from these tables that whereas from 1891-1900
Woolwich had a somewhat higher measles mortality than
London, since that date the measles death-rate in Woolwich