View report page

8
residential population, in many parts of the Borough varying from 200 to 350
or 400 persons to the acre, means the existence of conditions which tend to lower
the general standard of health and favour the prevalence of infectious disease.
These conditions affect more or less all ages of the population, but especially infants
who are liable to succumb more readily to deleterous influences and they need great
and ever increasing effort on the part of the Sanitary Authority to counteract them.
The work of Miss Charlesworth, the Health Visitor, directed towards mitigating
some of the evil results of these conditions is dealt with in her report which is
appended (p. 84). What has been accomplished in this direction during the year is
so far as it goes of a very satisfactory character, but it is evident that the amount
of work in the field of health visiting in the Borough is far greater than one health
visitor can adequately cope with and that there is plenty of scope for an additional
whole time worker. A perusal of the Health Visitor's report will convey a good
idea of the nature and of the importance of the work of health visiting so far as
Shoreditch is concerned. Early in the year the question of the employment of
voluntary Health visitors came under the consideration of the Health Committee in
connection with a communication on the subject from the Shoreditch Public Welfare
Association. Enquiries were made as to the value of such voluntary assistance in
other Boroughs. The conclusion arrived at was that valuable assistance could be
rendered by voluntary workers provided they were properly trained, carried out
their duties under the instruction of a responsible officer of the Borough Council
and were able to give an adequate amount of time regularly on fixed days during
each week. Towards the end of the year the Health Visitor had the assistance of
Miss Stiff, a fully qualified health visitor who volunteered her services for four full
days each week during a period of three months. This lady gave some most
valuable help in connection with the work as to infants under the notification of
Births Act.
The deaths of children aged from 1 to 5 years numbered 399. Of these
94 were attributed to measles, 18 to whooping cough, 43 to diarrhoea, 31 to enteritis,
17 to diphtheria, 6 to scarlet fever, 12 to bronchitis, 82 to pneumonia, and 13 to
violence, 4 of which were the results of burns or scalds.
Altogether 997 or 44'7 per cent, of the total number of deaths at all ages during
the year were of children under 5 years of age.
Of children aged between 5 and 15 years 75 died. The chief causes of death
were tuberculosis which accounted for 16, other infectious diseases which resulted
in 13, pneumonia 11, and various forms of violence which caused 15 deaths, 6 of
which were through street accidents and 5 from burns and scalds.
Of persons aged between 15 and 25 years, there died 69, of whom 25 were
victims of consumption and 11 of diseases of the heart and circulatory organs.