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
Lewisham 1857
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham District]
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66
Sydenham.—Wells Road, Kirkdale, back of Dartmouth Row and Place, Perry Vale,
Mr. Keats, Forest Hill, Mr. Croxon's, Eliza Place, drains in Wells Road, and pigs kept
in several places round that'locality, a large drain opening on railway, 300 yards from
end of new sewer, and running into Perry Vale and stream.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
| Week ending. | Weight of air. Barometer corrected. Mean inches. | Temperature of Air. Thermometer. | Prevailing winds. | Rainy days. | Amount of rain in inches. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest. | Lowest. | Mean of daily readings. | |||||
| Feb. 28. | 30-214 | 51° 0 | 33° 3 | 41°2 | S. E. & N. E. | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mar. 7. | 30122 | 55 0 | 32 3 | 43 1 | Variable | 0 | 0.00 |
| 14. | 29-607 | 40 0 | 28 0 | 37 2 | N.W.&S.W. | 3 | 0.33 |
| 21. | 29-719 | 66 2 | 33 0 | 45 1 | S.W.&S.E. | 2 | 0.33 |
I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
F. E. WILKINSON,
Medical officer of Health.
26th March, 1857.
APRIL.
| DISTRICTS. | Males. | BIRTHS Females. | Total. | Males. | DEATHS. Females. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackheath | 5 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Lewisham | 17 | 13 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Union Workhouse | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 |
| Penge | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | — | 4 |
| N. S. Industrial School . | — | — | — | — | _ | — |
| Sydenham | 20 | 7 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Tota | 47 | 28 | 75 | 14 | 16 | 30 |
Sydenham, 30th April, 1857.
Gentlemen,
Since Saturday, the 21st of March, 75 births and 30 deaths have been registered in
the district.
Epidemic diseases have been much more prevalent than for the last several months;
of these hooping cough is very common, and one death is registered from this cause
Cases of low fever exist also in some of the bad localities of the district, to which I have
so often directed your attention. One death is registered from severe scarlet fever, in
Dartmouth Passage, Blackheath, but this disease is not very prevalent.
Since the return of cold weather, chest diseases have been more prevalent, and eight
deaths are recorded from this cause, two of which were phthisis.
I have, in several instances, where complaints have been made to me of the existence
of nuisances, written a private note to the landlord, requesting their immediate removal,
to prevent the formal interference of the Board of Works; and I am happy to say that
this plan has been attended with a great amount of success. But if official notices of the
Board are not attended to, I should suggest that the offending parties should be immediately
summoned before a magistrate, by the Inspector of Nuisances (Metropolitan