London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bermondsey 1905
Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1905
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The death rate of the Borough during 1905 was 18*6 per 1,000 living inhabitants, being
1*5 below that recorded for 1904, and 2*7 below the average for the last ten years. This is one
of tbe lowest death rates recorded in Bermondsey, that for 1903, which was 18'4, being the
lowest. If the census population of 1901 be taken as the basis of calculation of the rate, it
works out at 18-35, which is '05 below that for 1903. Table D shows that Bermondsev and
Botherhithe have both participated in the decrease, but St. Olave shows an increase.
Table C.—Increase or Decrease of Diseases in 1905 Compared with 1904.
| Increase. | Decrease. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount. | Amount. | Amount. | Amount. |
| Smallpox 1 | Venereal Diseases 2 | Measles 77 | Phthisis 34 |
| Diphtheria 1 | Premature Birth 5 | Scarlet Fever 1 | Bronchitis 31 |
| Puerperal Fever 2 | Diseases & Accidents of Parturition 6 | Whooping Cough 30 | Pneumonia 25 |
| Other Septic Diseases 11 | Enteric Fever 7 | Alcoholism and Cirrhosis of Liver 7 | |
| Other Tubercular Diseases 9 | Accidents 10 | Other Continued Fever 3 | |
| Cancer 17 | All other causes 20 | Epidemic Influenza 4 | Heart Diseases 22 |
| Pleurisy 7 | Diarrhœa 44 | ||
| Other Diseases of Respiratory Organs 5 | Enteritis 3 | ||
| Erysipelas 2 | |||
In column 1, foot of Table I. of the Appendix, will be found a list of places where deaths
of non-parishioners occurred in the district. There were 83 such deaths in all, against 44 in
1904, and 40 in 1903. This number is rather below the average.
10 such deaths occurred in the Infirmary; 4 in the Surrey Commercial Docks; 2 in the
Parish Street Workhouse; 1 in London County Council Sewer, Neptune Street; 1 in Nelson Dry
Dock: 1 on City and South London Electric Railway, London Bridge; 1 at 93, Union Road ; 1 at
654, Rotherhithe Street; and 12 in River Thames.
521 person belonging to this Borough died in outlying institutions, against 495 in 1904,
and 449 in 1903. The names of the various places where the deaths occurred will be found in
columns 2 and 3 at foot of Table I. of Appendix.
I have drawn attention to the slow but steady increase of these figures, which is probably
due to more use being made of the various hospitals of the metropolis.
Table D.— Death Rates.
| Year. | Bermondsey. | Rotherhithe. | St. Olave's. | Whole Borough. | London. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 21.89 | 19.47 | 26.44 | 21.6 | 19.4 |
| 1896 | 21.95 | 20.70 | 22.44 | 21.6 | 18.2 |
| 1897 | 22.22 | 19.20 | 22.54 | 21.4 | 17.7 |
| 1898 | 21.05 | 19.56 | 21.42 | 20.6 | 18.3 |
| 1899 | 24.70 | 22.11 | 26.42 | 24.1 | 19.3 |
| 1900 | 23.49 | 22.79 | 22.91 | 23.2 | 18.3 |
| 1901 | 21.44 | 19.43 | 20.93 | 20.8 | 17.1 |
| 1902 | 21.66 | 19.30 | 24.62 | 21.2 | 17.2 |
| 1903 | 18.54 | 17.08 | 22.23 | 18.4 | 15.1 |
| 1904 | 19.91 | 18.59 | 27.65 | 20.1 | 16.0 |
| Average for years 1895-1904 | 21.68 | 19.82 | 23.76 | 21.3 | 17.7 |
| 1905- | |||||
| On estimated population | 19.51 | 15.78 | 22.98 | 18.6 | 15.1 |
| On Census population, 1901 | 19.36 | 15.70 | 20.17 | 18.35 |
The following extract, produced again from the Annual Report for 1903, explains
Table E. below: —
"Since the mortality per thousand living is much greater among children under 5
and old people, and is higher at practically all ages among men, it follows that a
community which has a preponderance of these elements will have ceteris paribus a
higher death rate than one which has not.
"The age and sex distribution of the population of England and Wales being taken
as a standard to all communities within their borders, the death rates of different
localities can be calculated on the assumption that they have the same proportions of