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
Poplar 1896
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar]
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8
remember that the death rate which speaks mostly respecting the
sanitary condition of a district is the zymotic death rate, and as
diarrhoea is one of the diseases included among those forming the
zymotic group, and is a complaint the prevalence of which depends
greatly upon the heat of the earth, it almost necessarily follows that
the zymotic death rate will be high during hot summers, and more
especially when the seasons are accompanied by drought; under
such conditions the general death rate becomes high. Deaths from
respiratory diseases such as laryngitis, simple croup, emphysema,
asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy are dependent to a great
extent upon climatic changes, and the death rate from those complaints
would be increased during a severe cold season.
The following are death rates per 1000 living from the seven principal Zymotic diseases (see Tables VIII. and IX. pages 19 and 20) and Respiratory diseases:—
| Poplar. | Bromley. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1894. | 1895. | 1896. | 1894. | 1895. | 1896. | |
| Respiratory Diseases | 3.3 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 4.4 |
| Zymotic Diseases | 2.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
In studying these rates, it would be well to look at the general
death rates for the corresponding years to see how they vary, and also
to remember the frost at the beginning of the year 1895; later on the
heat and drought; and the heat and drought of the year 1896. The
summer of the year 1894 was a very wet and cold one; that of the
year 1893 was very hot, and accompanied by drought.
On page 35 will be found the number of deaths from Diarrhoea for
each of the past four years. Diarrhoea was very prevalent in the year
1893, which was also a great year for scarlet fever (see page 26). The
spread of these diseases may, beyond doubt, be attributed to the fact
that the Asylums Boards Authorities were much pushed to provide
sufficient accommodation. Deaths from scarlet fever and diarrhoea
were high, hence the death rate rose.