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 1879
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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who did not, it was believed, have any dripping. Another
infant suffered in the same way, but recovered. The sickness
and diarrhoea came on in most cases a few hours (from four to
twelve) after eating the dripping, those suffering most severely
who partook of the jelly. I carefully examined the dripping
chemically and microscopically. It had a peculiar and faint
smell, but I did not detect anything except numerous small
microscopic organisms resembling monads. The symptoms
corresponded very closely to those that occurred some years ago
amongst numerous residents of this district who ate some
sausages, and of whom one died.
Having made these few remarks on summer diarrhoea,
typhoid fever, smallpox and disinfectants, I shall lay before you
several tables showing the growth of population, the births,
deaths and marriages in the district during the last ten years,
and the mortality at different ages from various diseases during
the current year, as well as an account of the sanitary work performed
during the year.
Table II.—Hackney District, 1870.79.
| Estimated Population on July 1st. | Density of Population per acre. | Births. | . Deaths corrected. | Marriages. | No. of Births to 1000 Population. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 120,986 | 30.8 | 4029 | 2356 | 1 102 | 33.3 |
| 1871 | 125,886 | 31.9 | 4184 | 2820 | 1l8l | 33.2 |
| 1872 | 129,666 | 32.9 | 4401 | 2506 | 1278 | 3.2 |
| 1873 | 133,896 | 34.0 | 4431 | 2594 | 1276 | 33.2 |
| 1874 | 139,020 | 35.3 | 4755 | 2799 | 1271 | 34.7 |
| 1875 | 145,144 | 36.9 | 4970 | 2948 | 1415 | 35.1 |
| 1876 | 152,648 | 38.7 | 5469 | 2825 | 1425 | 36.3 |
| 1877 | 100,000 | 40.7 | 5555 | 3092 | 1485 | 34.7 |
| 1878 | 167,750 | 42.5 | 5940 | 3392 | 1441 | 35.6 |
| 1879 | 175,750 | 44'.7 | 6312 | 3285 | I44O | 35.9 |
Population at Census, 1871 124,951
No. of Inhabited Houses at Census 1871 19,347
No. of Families or separate Occupiers at Census, 1871 26,045
No. of Persons on an average in each Inhabited House at Census, 1871 6 46
*NOTE.—The deaths are corrected so as to allow for deaths in the Small.pox and Fever
Hospitals, in the German Hospital and City of London Workhouse, which
are situate in the Hackney District; also for the proportion of deaths in other
Metropolitan Hospitals.