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 1890
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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17
decennial average in Kensington. In 1890 the general rate was
fractionally above the average, the zymotic rate being average.
It need hardly be said that a persistently high rate of mortality
from zymotic diseases furnishes matter for serious consideration.
Kensington has hitherto been fortunate in having a death-rate
from these diseases much below that of the Metropolis generally.
The subjoined Table shews the deaths from the principal zymotic diseases in 1890, together with the decennial average, etc. :—
| Disease. | Sub-districts. | In Hospitals. | Decennial average. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town. | Brompton. | Town | Brompton. | Total. | Uncorrected. | Corrected for increase of Population | |
| Small-pox | ... | ... | ... | ... | 11.9 | 12.5 | |
| Measles | 126 | 12 | 2 | 140 | 70.3 | 74.1 | |
| Scarlet Fever | 5 | l | 16 | 4 | 26 | 36.7 | 38.7 |
| Diphtheria | 1.2 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 35 | 38.8 | 40.9 |
| Whooping.cough | 84 | 8 | 1 | 93 | 81.6 | 86.1 | |
| Tvphus Fever | 9 | 9 | |||||
| Enteric Fever | 11 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 20.1 | 21.2 | |
| Simple Oontd. Fever | 2.7 | 2.9 | |||||
| Diarrhoea | 66 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 78 | 90.9 | 95.9 |
| 304 | 36 | 39 | 8 | 387 | 353.9 | 373.2 | |
It appears, then, that the deaths from these diseases were
14 above the corrected decennial average. They were also 118
more than in 1889, but fewer by 33 than in 1888. As usual,
the deaths in the Brompton sub-district (44) were fewer in proportion
to population than in the Town sub-district, but not quite
to the same extent as in the preceding year. The total deaths
were equal to 181 per 1000 deaths from all causes in Kensington
(Metropolis, 134), and to a rate of 2.1 per 1000 persons living
(Metropolis, 2.7); the decennial average being 2.1 in Kensington,
and 2.9 in London. In England and Wales the deaths from these
diseases were 106 in each 1000 deaths; and the rate was 2.03
per 1000 persons living, the decennial average being 2.3 per 1000.