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
Hackney 1859
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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two of the others, for we find that in 1858, 65 4 per cent, of the total
mortality was produced by these four groups of disease, viz., the
zymotic class, tubercular affections, diseases of the nervous system
and affections of the lungs; whilst in 1859 67.0 per cent, or an increase
of 1.6 per cent, was caused by them, which is very small considering the
excessive mortality from diarrhoea.
The other groups of diseases produced but a small rate of death, the
largest number having been registered as resulting from old age, viz, 6.8
per cent, and 5'8 per cent, from diseases of the digestive apparatus.
Whilst these latter groups produced so comparatively small a mortality,
one disease alone, scarlet fever, caused the deaths of 82 persons, or more
than 5 per cent, of the whole mortality for the year. As this disease is
much on the increase, I repeat the precautions which I would advise to
be adoptsd whenever a case appears in a family,—That the person
affected should bo entirely separated from the rest of the family; that
no one should enter the room except for absolutely necessary purposes;
that the female attendants should not wear woollen dresses; and that the
patient should he placed in the top room of the house, which should be
kept well ventilated. The following table shows the mortality from the
chief epidemic diseases.
TABLE IV. Hackney, 1859.
Deaths from Epidemic Diseases.
| 1st Qr | 2nd Qr | 3rd Qr | 1th Qr | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Pox. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Measles | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Scarlet Fever | 17 | 15 | 19 | 31 | 82 |
| Diptheria | 9 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 27 |
| Whooping Cough | 14 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 36 |
| Diarrhoea | 2 | 3 | 75 | 7 | 87 |
| 8 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 55 | |
| Total | 57 | 52 | 112 | 81 | 302 |
The above shows, as compared with 1858, a small increase in the
mortality from small-pox, a decided decrease from Measles, an increase
from scarlet fever, whooping cough and diarrhoea, also a slight increase
from fever. These will be shown better by a comparison with the corrected
numbers since 1855. The enormous increase in the mortality
from diarrhoea from 3 deaths in the second to 75 in the third is very
remarkable, and shows the prejudicial influence of high temperature in
this country. The largest mortality from these diseases occurred as
usual in the third quarter,
The following table shows the progress of epidemic diseases since the
year 1855, with corrections applied for the increase of population, which
is so great in Hackney.