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 1868
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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18
mortality in 1868 was some what exceptional, and was chiefly
caused by diarrhoea; but a rate nearly equally as great has
obtained for several years past.
TABLE V.
Deaths in Hackney.
| CAUSES OF DEATH. Deaths from | Totals 1868. | Per Centages. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868. | 10 years' average. | ||
| Miasmatic, (Epidemic) diseases | 379 | 16.6 | 20.8 |
| Diathetic, &c., diseases | 119 | 5.2 | 4.8 |
| Tubercular diseases | 406 | 17.8 | 16.6 |
| Diseases of the Nervous Svstem | 312 | 13.7 | 13.0 |
| „ „ Organs of Circulation | 134 | 5.9 | 5.2 |
| „ „ Respiratory Organs | 328 | 14.4 | 16.3 |
| „ „ Digestive and Urinary do. | 145 | 6.3 | 6.5 |
| „ „ Skin and Joints | 14 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Premature Birth and Atrophy | 157 | 6.9 | 4.9 |
| Childbirth, &c. | 27 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Old Age | 180 | 7.9 | 7.0 |
| Violent doatha | 80 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| total | 2281 | 100 | 100 |
Having laid before you a brief resume of the births
and deaths, I now proceed to discuss the " causes of death."
Table 5 shows that out of the 2281 deaths 379 or 16.6 per cent.
were caused by miasmatic or epidemic diseases, that is to say
by scarlet fever, measles, fever, diarrhoea fever, &c. This is a
very much smaller rate than the average of the 10 years previously
to 1866, and is very satisfactory, as it indicates that the
energetic carrying out of the Sanitary Act, which was passed in
1866, has produced beneficial results. As this per centage is
calculated on the deaths, and not on the population, some of the
other " causes of death " must show a higher rate ; thus we see
that the per centages are higher in the diathetic and tubercular
classes, also from diseases of the nervous system, heart, and
premature birth and atrophy. This latter we might expect,