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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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37
amount of sulphur dioxide present in the atmosphere at a given point and
functioned throughout the year; (b) a deposit gauge which measures the amount
of solids that settle from the atmosphere and was in use from December 1952.
The second station, provided by the London County Council, is situated at
ground level in the old-world garden in Victoria Park within the boundary of
Hackney and this station also comprises a deposit gauge and a lead peroxide
instrument. In May of the current year a third station was set up by the
Borough Council on the roof of Buccleuch House, Clapton Common. Calculations
of the pollution as recorded by the various instruments are made by the
Council's public analyst at the end of each month, and a summary of the findings
and observations included in the Atmospheric Pollution Bulletin of the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The following table of weekly deaths registered for the administrative County of London and Hackney for the period from 16th November, 1952 to 10th January, 1953, shows the startling sudden rise in the week of the fog.
| Deaths registered | ||
|---|---|---|
| Week ended (1952) | County of London | Hackney |
| 22nd November | 753 | 43 |
| 29th " | 853 | 48 |
| 6th December | 945 | 58 |
| 13th " (Fog week) | 2,484 | 143 |
| 20th " | 1,523 | 74 |
| 27th " | 1,029 | 60 |
| 3rd January | 1,372 | 64 |
| 10th " | 1,216 | 73 |
Dr. Scott notes, too, that the increase was associated almost entirely
with disorders of the respiratory and circulatory systems and was not confined
to any particular age group, though the greatest increases occurred among
infants and elderly People.
A table showing comparison between the numbers and age groups of deaths from respiratory and circulatory diseases occurring in Hackney during the week of the fog, and the immediately preceding and succeeding weeks, with the corresponding weeks in 1951, is given below:-
| Week ending | AGE GROUPS | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | 1 to 5 | 5 to 15 | 15 to 25 | 25 to 45 | 45 to 65 | 65 to 75 | 75 and over | ||
| 1951: 8th Dec. | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | ||
| 15th Dec. | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 |
| 22nd Dec. | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
| 37 | |||||||||
| 1952: 6th Dec. | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 13th Dec, | |||||||||
| - | - | - | - | 4 | 16 | 30 | 43 | 93 | |
| 20th Dec | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | 10 | 19 | 40 |
| 148 | |||||||||