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

Kensington 1860

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]

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Table: The mortality from zymotic diseases is shown by the following Table, and the deaths are compared with those of former years :—

The mortality from zymotic diseases is shown by the following Table, and the deaths are compared with those of former years :—

Small-pox.Measles.Scarlatina.Hooping Cough.Diarrhoea.Fever.Total.
1860—1st Quarter2623161654
2nd „88261321581
3rd „3..1593636
4th „515221810878
Total, 1860182986,563525,249
Of these there died— In Brompton278141739
Kensington162278423418210
Total, 1859114253117217196
„ 185822449643038207
„ 1857••15. 25378320181

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The total mortality from this class of diseases, is at the rate of 2.5 per
1,000 of those living in Brompton, and 4.004 of those living in the
Kensington district ; and shows a percentage 8 07 of all the deaths in
Brompton, and 20.9 in Kensington, and for the whole parish a percentage
of 16.6.
The number of deaths recorded from small-pox is very large when
compared with former years, viz. (18) ; but you will remember that, at
an early period of the year, London underwent, a severe visitation from
this disease ; and had not very active measures been taken by you in
causing all schools and homes of the poor where there were children to
be thoroughly examined, to ascertain whether vaccination had been
performed or not, the mortality, I doubt not, would have been very
much greater.
Scarlatina was also exceedingly fatal, especially in the northern
division of the parish, whereas the mortality from diarrhoea and measles
was comparatively small.