Diphtheria : its natural history and prevention, being the Milroy lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1891 / by R. Thorne Thorne.

  • Thorne, R. Thorne (Richard Thorne), Sir, 1841-1899.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diphtheria : its natural history and prevention, being the Milroy lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1891 / by R. Thorne Thorne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    they are, the available statistics supply some useful lessons. Comparing the two decennial periods 1861-1870 and 1871-1880, as also the period 1881-1889, it will be seen that whereas the diphtheria death-rate per million living for England and Wales during the first decennium was 187, it fell to 121 during the second ten years, and that although the rate rose again to 159 during the third period, yet the latter rate was still short of that which had prevailed in 1861-70. TABLE No. I. Diphtheria Mortality per Million Persons living at all ages. Date. England and Wales. London. 1861-70 187 179 1871-80 121 122 1881-89 159 244 With regard to the excess during the first period there are some indications to show that it was probably in part due to maintained confusion between diphtheria and scarlet fever; but at the same time the first half of this decennium corresponded with a considerable diffusion of the disease in England following on its alleged import- ation from Boulogne in 1855. In London the oscilla- tions in the rates have been somewhat similar to those for England as a whole; but there are certain marked differences. Thus, while the Metropolitan rate for 1861-70 was lower than that for the country generally, it exceeded it during the two next periods, and the rise