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 1884
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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The subjoined table1 sets out necessary particulars of Hit mortality from the principal zymotic diseases in 1884, together with the decennial average, etc.:—
| Disease. | bub.-Districts. | In Hospitals. | Total. | Uncorrected. | Corrected for Increase of Population. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town. | Brompton. | Town. | Brompton. | ||||
| Small Pox | 3 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 20.7 | 22.6 |
| Measles | 23 | 9 | — | — | 32 | 69.7 | 76.3 |
| Scarlet Fever | 10 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 56.6 | 61.9 |
| Diphtheria | 6 | 8 | 3 | — | 17 | 20.1 | 21.9 |
| Whooping Cough | 68 | 13 | — | — | 81 | 93.1 | l0l.l) |
| Typhus Fever | — | — | — | — | — | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Enteric „ | 11 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 23.7 | 25.8 |
| Simple Cond | 4 | — | — | — | 4 | 6.3 | 6.8 |
| Diarrhoea | 93 | 17 | — | — | 110 | 106.6 | 116 .9 |
| 218 | 57 | 25 | 14 | 314 | 399.7 | 437.2 | |
From the above table we learn that the deaths from the
" seven principal diseases of the zymotic class " which were 63 more
than in 1883, were 123 below the corrected decennial average. As
usual, the deaths in the Brompton sub-district were relatively
fewer, in proportion to population, than in the Town sub-district.
The deaths were equal to 118 per 1,000 deaths from all causes in
Kensington, (Metropolis, 164), and to a rate of 1*8 per 1,000
persons living, (Metropolis, 2'7); the decennial average being 2*5
in Kensington, and 3'5 in London. By way of comparison it may
be mentioned that in England and Wales the deaths from these
diseases were 135 in every 1,000 deaths; and the rate was 2-2
per 1,000 persons living, the decennial average being 3'0 per
1,000.
In the 27 large Towns grouped by the Registrar-General with
the Metropolis, the zymotic death rate was 3."5 per 1,000, ranging
from 1*7 in Brighton and Huddersfield, to 5'1 in Preston, while in
the 50 large Towns coming next in order of importance after the
27, it averaged 2*8 per 1,000, the highest rate (6*5 per 1,000)
being recorded at Wigan, and the lowest rate (1*1) at Soutliport.
* The figures in the table do not tally with those in the Registrar-Geneval's
Annual Summary, because deaths of noil-parishioners at public institutions
within the parish are excluded, whilst deaths of parishioners in outlying;
public institutions are included.