London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Chingford 1897

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chingford]

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The senile deaths and those between 25 and 65 years were
both about half the average number, which accounts for the
rather low average age of the deceased.
Infantile Death-Rate.
The number of deaths of children under one year of age per
1,000 births was 97, against 93 in the previous year, and 71 in
1895.
During the decennium 1885-94 the mean annual infantile
death-rate was 146 per 1,000 births in all England, and 128 per
1,000 in the Registration County of Essex. It may be taken for
granted, therefore, that the infant mortality in Chingford was by
no means excessive last year.
Zymotic Sickness and Mortality.
Only nine cases of infectious disease were notified during the
past year, against 12 cases in 1896, and twenty-four in 1895. The
mortality too from causes of this kind was wholly insignificant,
comprising a fatal case of diphtheria, one of whooping cough,
and one of diarrhoea, whereas in 1896 there were six, and in 1895
twelve deaths from diseases of this class. The zymotic deathrate
for the year was only 0.84 per 1,000, against 1.7 per 1,000
in 1896, and 3.6 per 1,000 in 1895.
The only unsatisfactory feature about these figures is that
they may induce many people to think an Isolation Hospital a
perfectly needless luxury for Chingford, in the face of such a
trifling epidemic mortality as the above. Unfortunately, our propinquity
to such populous centres as Walthamstow and London,
renders it extremely improbable that we shall always enjoy our
present immunity from zymotic disease.
In the Register General's last annual report, we are
informed that the mean annual zymotic mortality during the