View report page

Metropolitan Borongh 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 my Fifth Annual Report on the sanitary condition of the
Borough of Bermondsey during the year 1905. The report deals with the 52 weeks ending on
December 30th, 1905.
The death rate was 18.6 compared with 20.1 in 1904, the causes of this decrease being
discussed on page 5.
No serious outbreaks of notifiable disease occurred during the year, but a mild type of
scarlet fever was very prevalent. The general plan of the Report is similar to that of previous
years, the subjects being discussed under the following divisions, viz., I.—Vital Statistics; II.—
Notification of Infectious Diseases; III.—Sanitary Administration; IV.—Factories and
Workshops.
In the appendix will be found the Local Government Board's tables along with those
required to illustrate the subjects discussed in the Report. There is a new table on Infantile
Mortality.
Again I wish to record my thanks to the Chairman and members of the Public Health
Committee, who throughout the year have shown themselves alive to the advances in
sanitary science, and have with few exceptions approved of and carried out suggestions for
the improvement of the Borough in a sanitary point of view.
Thanks are due to the Chief Inspector and other members of the staff for their hearty
co-operation in carrying out the various duties devolving on the Public Health Department, and
also to the Surveyor for his assistance in connection with the plans of the Insanitary Area.
I am, gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
R. K. BROWN.

As the interval between the last Census year and the year under report increases, so does
the difficulty of arriving at a correct estimate of the population become greater. Houses have
been pulled down and others rebuilt during the year 1905, but there has been no substantial
change in this respect since the Report for 1904 was written. For various reasons I am inclined to
think that the above estimates are rather under than over the mark, but the error is probably
not very serious since an estimate published by the London County Council and based on the
houses occupied and rated, gives a population for purposes of the equalisation of rates of 129,295.
This is only 565 more than mine and does not appreciably affect the death and birth-rates which
are calculated on the figures given in the table.
Estimations of the ward areas and populations have been made for the first time.
The populations have been reduced in the same proportion as the totals, and will be found in the
Appendix.
Births.
The total number of births registered in the Borough for the 52 weeks ending December
30th, 1905, was 4,288, consisting of 2,185 males and 2,103 females. This is 294 below the average
for the last 10 years and 95 above the figure for 1904.