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

Kensington 1881

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]

This page requires JavaScript

Table: The following table shows the distribution of deaths from zymotic diseases registered in Kensington in 13 periods of four weeks, corresponding to my monthly reports:—

The following table shows the distribution of deaths from zymotic diseases registered in Kensington in 13 periods of four weeks, corresponding to my monthly reports:—

PERIOD.DISEASES.
Four weeks endedSmall Pox.Measles.Scarlet Fever.Diphtheria.Whooping Cough.Typhus Fever.Enteric Fever.Simple continued Fever.Diarrhœa.Total.
Jan. 29, 1881...21...12...1...319
Feb. 26 „142...11...2...222
Mar. 26 „161...3...1...214
April23 ,,...122131......322
May 21 „4104...1...2...122
June 18 „48216.........526
July 16 ,,...61...3.........2737
Aug. 13 „2851211...3858
Sept. 10 „14213...1...1022
Oct. 8 „......323...2...717
Nov. 5 „...2518...52...23
Dec. 3 „...2......8.........111
Dec. 31 „...3...122...23...31
1367308852185101329
In Hospital42...8.........4......54
5567388852225101383

Text

Copy text to clipboard

From the above table we learn that measles was most fatal in
the second quarter of the year, and whooping cough in the first
and last quarters. Diarrhoea as an infantile disease prevails in
summer and autumn, but the exact period of its fatal incidence
depends on climatic conditions, the fatality being greatest in hot
weather, but less when heat is accompanied with rain than in dry
weather: last summer there was a low temperature associated
with much rain, and hence a reduced prevalence and lower rate
of mortality from this scourge of the young.
I now proceed to make a few observations on each of the diseases,
and first, with respect to
Measles, which as already mentioned was very prevalent,
especially during the first half of the year. The deaths were 67,
48 having been registered in the Town sub-district, and 19 in