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WIM O53
Wimbledon Urban District Council.
SANITARY DEPARTMENT.
ANNUAL-REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH,
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31st, 1903.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year
ending December 31st 1903, with statistical returns of deaths and
infectious diseases in the District, the methods adopted for the
prevention of disease and the general work of the Sanitary Department.
It is my privilege to again congratulate the Council on the exceptionally
healthy state of the District as shown by the extraordinary low
death-rate of 8.22, which is the lowest it has ever fallen to my duty to
record.
The past year has been an unusual one in many respects, as for
instance the abnormal rain-fall of about 405 inches, which is 14" above
the average for the last 25 years, but it certainly has had its beneficial
effects ; the constant washing of the atmosphere and the thorough
cleansing and scouring of the drains and sewers undoubtedly being
important factors in the reduced general, infantile and zymotic
death-rates.
Population.
The calculations for the deaths and other rates in the tables of
this report are based on a population estimated to the middle of the
year as 46,000, and checked on the assumption that the birth-rate will
remain the same for a number of years as it was found to be at the
last census.
Births.
The number of births registered was 1204 (591 males, 613
females), which is 60 more than last year, and equal to a birth-rate of
26.1 per thousand per annum, .5 per thousand lower than last year,