London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Giles (Camden) 1880

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles District]

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42
The deaths were 45, including 2 in Charing Cross and Stockwell
Hospitals.
Diphtheria (Decennial Average,3.3).—The mortality of 14 from this
disease is very heavy and much above the decennial average; most of
the deaths were children under 5 years of age, residing in the parish
of Bloomsbury.
Two of the patients were admitted to the Children's Hospital, Great
Ormond Street, and died there.
Whooping Cough (Decennial Average, 34.3).—We have again this
year to deplore a heavy loss from this distressing infantile disease,
for no less than 45 children died of it; it prevailed nearly all over
the District, but was especially severe in St. George, Bloomsbury, and
in St. Giles, South.
Fever, including Typhus, Typhoid and simple continued Fever
(Decennial Average, 22.1) Typhus.—This infectious form of fever,
which in the previous year remained nearly three months in the
District and caused great anxiety, happily has not re-appeared, for
during 1880, no sickness or death was recorded from it, either in
hospitals or the District.
Typhoid and simple continued Fever.—In these other forms of
fever, the District has been equally free, for only 7 deaths were
registered from them, being considerably below the average.

The following tables will show the admission of the fever cases from this District into the hospitals belonging to the Asylum Board during the year 1880:—

Hospitals.Scarlet.TyphoidTyphus.Other diseasesTotal admissions.DEATHS..
Scarlet.TyphoidTyphus.Other diseases
Stockwell6l-l8l---
Deptford14l-217----
Total202-325l---

The Registrar-General, in his Annual Summary for 1880, states:—
" The death-rate ascribed to fever fell nearly 60 per cent, below the
average of the three preceding decennia. The meaning of this will
perhaps be better appreciated if stated in another form. Had, then,
the death-rate from fever remained at its previous level, in London
alone nearly 19,000 more persons would have died from this cause
during the ten years, than as a matter of fact did die from it. It
is probably a low estimate to say that for each fatal case of fever
there are 4.4 more which are not fatal. We may therefore conclude
that sanitary measures have preserved more than 102,000 Londoners
in the last ten years from being attacked by fever."