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quate. It produced a very marked and decided effect upon your
Inspector of Nuisances, and I felt its influence for some hours
afterwards.
We inspected the adjoining premises of Messrs. Nickerson, which
were in a far superior condition, evincing evidence of care and also
the entire absence of offensive effluvia.
The health of our Pariah continues good. The deaths for the
week ending October 1st. were 20, the average being 34 ; and for
the week ending October 8th. 16, the average being 25.
I have for some time thought it my duty not to confine myself
simply to a report of the sanitary condition of our district, but to
compare our position as regards health and life with Metropolitan
districts. I believe that this course has been attended with good
results, removed popular and ill-founded opinions with regard to
Bermondsey, I this evening take a summary view of the thirteen
weeks, ending October 1st, not only as regards ourselves, but also
our neighbouring districts, and briefly of other portions of the Metropolis.
It has been a critical period; there were on several
occasions very threatening, even alarming symptoms of the advent of
a severe and fatal Epidemic, which providentially appears now to
have passed away.
I think it important only to take for our consideration the diseases
named Zymotic, and justly considered to be preventible to a
great degree.—These are Small Pox, Measles, Scarlatina, Whooping
Cough, Diarrœa, and Typhus.
We must take as a standard the last census, which will tell somewhat
against us, for the central and some other districts cannot have
increased in population in the same ratio as Bermondsey. During
the thirteen weeks the deaths from Small Pox in the Metropolis
were 287, which represents one death for every 8234 persons.
The entire Metropolis has been visited more or less with this virulent
disease. The Eastern district suffered most, then the Central,
then the Southern, next the Northern, and least of all the Western.
In the Southern district the deaths were 1 in 8173, then 73 cases
registered—3 in Christchurch and St. Saviour's, 3 St. Olave's and
St. John's, 25 St. George's, Southwark, 15 in Newington, 10 in
Lambeth, 4 at Clapham, 6 at Deptford and Greenwich, 6 at Lewisham
and Plumstead, and in Bermondsey 1, Camberwell is in the
same position with 1 death only registered, and Rotherhithe which
in sanitary improvements is running a fair race with ourselves, had
no death whatever from Small Pox.