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

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East Ham 1909

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]

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29
nature, that is, years in which the disease is very prevalent are
followed by years of greatly diminished prevalence and fatality
and these cycles are of irregular and uncertain duration. The
following figures giving the registered death-rates from
Diphtheria per million persons in England and Wales and in
London during the years 1861 to 1905, well illustrate this
irregular variation :—

TABLE I.

Deaths per Million of Population.

Years.England and Wales.London.
1861 to 1870187179
1871 to 1880121122
1881 to 1890163259
1891 to 1900263500
1901 to 1907194187

Diphtheria in Certain Counties.
Apart from this irregular periodic variation, there is also
a geographical variation, that is, certain parts of the Country,
for reasons at present unknown, always suffer from Diphtheria
more than others. This is shown in the following Table which
gives the average death-rates from Diphtheria per million of
population in England and Wales and in certain counties
during the ten years, 1897 to 1906:—

TABLE II.

Areas.Deaths per million of Population.
Northamptonshire118
Suffolk144
Surrey173
Bedfordshire211
ENGLAND & WALES227
Kent257
Middlesex264
London280
ESSEX322
Leicestershire324