London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1895

Report on vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1895

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families in connection with which the cases occurred,
and the number of rooms occupied by them. The
results of the distribution were tabulated on the
plan adopted by the Registrar-General in stating
the manner in which the population was
housed at the Census. All rates were calculated
on the numbers given in the Census returns, i.e.,
in April, 1891, and the Census standard of overcrowding
was adopted. Inasmuch as this standard
takes no account of the ages of the inhabitants,
it is an unsatisfactory one for dealing with the
incidence of infectious disease, but no other is
available. On the whole, the results of the inquiries
is to confirm the proposition that where overcrowding
— even as measured by the RegistrarGeneral's
standard—exists, there infectious disease is
more prone to occur. The returns of that part of the
population living in tenements containing less than
five rooms show that the rate for "all diseases" for
1895 was 8.7 for the whole population, 8.5 for that
part living in rooms which were not overcrowded,
and 9.1 among those in overcrowded rooms. The rate
for that part of the population living in five rooms or
more was only 3.3. There are certain irregularities
in the rates for which it is not easy to account,
and for that reason the following Table of the
populations, cases, and rates is appended.
It is necessary in presenting this Table to