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Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
To the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you my Second Annual Report on the Sanitary condition
of the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey during the year 1902. It deals with the 53 weeks
ending January 3rd, 1903. For convenience the subject matter will be treated under the
following heads: —
I.— Vital Statistics.
II. — Infectious Diseases and Notification.
III. — Sanitary Work.
IV. — Factory and Workshops Act, 1901.
Owing to the Factory and Workshops Act coming into force since the last Report it is
necessary to make special reference to that Act in this report. In the Appendix will be found a
summary of the inspections and proceedings taken by the Department, also a summary of the
amount of food which comes into the district through the Port of London, and the amount
seized or destroyed by mutual consent.
I again desire to express my appreciation of the courtesy and assistance always rendered
by the Chairman and Members of the Public Health Committee, and to say that my thanks are
due to the Chief Inspector and the other members of this department for their cordial
co-operation.
I am, gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
R. K. BROWN.
VITAL STATISTICS.
Population.
The population of the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey, according to the Census of
1891, was 136,660. This included 84,682 for Bermondsey, 39,255 for Rotherhithe, and 12,723
for St. Olave's. In 1896, according to the Census of the London County Council, the total
population for the Borough was 137,585, including 85,475 for Bermondsey, 40,379 for
Rotherhithe, and 11,731 for St. Olave's.
As pointed out in the last Report, there was an increase of about 1,000 inhabitants in the
whole Borough from 1891 to 1896; from 1896 to 1901, there was a decrease of about 7,000.
Various reasons were suggested for the cause of this decrease, the principal of which were: —
The widening of the South Eastern Railway.
The enlargement of the Depôt at Bricklayer's Arms, in which part of Rolls Road
was involved.
The enlargement of the Depôt of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway,
involving the pulling down of parts of Lynton and Alderminster Roads.
The clearing of the site of the Tower Bridge Road and Approach.
Since that date a good many houses have been closed in Rotherhithe in preparation for
building the new Thames Tunnel. Provision, however, has been made for the re-housing of the
people thus displaced, by the London County Council, who have erected two large blocks of
model dwellings in Swan Lane. The number of tenements is as follows: —
Erected in Swan Lane by the London County Council ... 255 tenements
Erected in Tower Bridge Road and Abbey Street by the
South-Eastern Railway Co. 129 ,,
Total 384 ,,
In estimating the population, I have followed the method of the Registrar General, who
assumes that the population continues to increase or decrease in the same ratio as it did during
the last inter-censal period. Taking therefore the census populations of 1896 and 1901, and
calculating the population by this method to the middle of 1902, the estimate will show a
population of 129,136, a further decrease on the population of 1901. This is probably, if
anything, an under estimate owing to the provision for the re-housing of those displaced, so
that I am inclined to think that the population of Bermondsey is at a standstill.
The above estimate gives populations for the three divisions of the Borough as follows: —
Bermondsey 81,752
Rotherhithe 37,995
St. Olave's 9,389
The age and sex distribution for the Borough, and the different Wards for 1901, is shown
in Table V. of Appendix, which was obtained from the Registrar General by special arrangement.