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
Walthamstow 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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29
These deaths represent a mortality rate of .2 per 1,000, and a case
rate of 14 per 100 attacked. As in last year, two in every 17 attacked
from Diphtheria, and half those attacked by Croup, died.
The death.rate from Diphtheria is below that for England and Wales
as a whole.
A steady and marked decline in the sickness and death.rate of these
diseases has occured since 1900, which is very gratifying. How much
of it is due to natural conditions, and how much to the Isolation
Hospital provision, would be difficult to determine.
The following table shows the estimated population, the number of
cases of Diphtheria and Membranous Croup, the attack rate since 1890,
and the death.rate since 1898:-
TABLE XV.
| Years. | Population. | Number of Diphtheria cases. | Rate per l,ooo. | Membranous Croup cases. | Death.rate. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 46,500 | 129 | 2.5 | 3 | - |
| 1891 | 47,000 | 153 | 3.22 | 9 | - |
| 1892 | 49,400 | 137 | 2.77 | 17 | - |
| 1893 | 52,000 | 142 | 2.73 | 11 | - |
| 1894 | 57,000 | 129 | 2.26 | 15 | - |
| 1895 | 61,000 | 198 | 3.24 | 10 | - |
| 1896 | 65,000 | 124 | 1.9 | 6 | - |
| 1897 | 70,000 | 152 | 2.17 | 6 | - |
| 1898 | 77,000 | 225 | 2.9 | 9 | 59 |
| 1899 | 83,000 | 338 | 4.0 | 7 | 88 |
| 1900 | 91,000 | 516 | 5.6 | 11 | .86 |
| 1901 | 97,000 | 322 | 34 | 11 | .39 |
| 1902 | 101,318 | 142 | 1.40 | 8 | .20 |
The Local Government Board form, on page 23, shows the distribution
of the cases of Diphtheria according to wards.