View report page

To His Worship the Mayor, the Aldermen, and the Councillors of
the Borough of Paddington.
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you my Annual Report for the year 1901, being the first
dealing with the health and work of the Borough and the eighth I have presented since my
appointment as Medical Officer of Health of the Parish of Paddington.
The preparation of the present report has involved an unusual amount of labour, in part on
account of the addition of a portion of Chelsea Detached to the Borough and in part on account of
the publication of the Census Report. With a view to making the comparison with previous years
complete, the deaths and notifications recorded in (what is now) Queen's Park Ward during
the ten years 1891-1900 have been extracted. Further, all rates for those years have been
re-calculated on revised estimates of population based on the results of the last Census. Owing
to changes in the clerical staff I have been unable to receive any assistance in this work.
It is satisfactory to be able to record that the general death-rate was lower last year than it
has been for the past eleven years. The sickness returns were somewhat higher than those of 1900,
owing to occurrence of small-pox and an outbreak of diphtheria in North-West Paddington. The
returns were, however, below the decennial averages except those for the two diseases mentioned.
Having regard to the general prevalence of small-pox in the Metropolis the small number of
cases recorded (22) was satisfactory. The outbreak of diphtheria was spread chiefly through the
schools, the greater proportion of the cases being among school children. It is very doubtful
whether the examination of the drainage of the Queen's Park Estate had any effect on the
prevalence of the disease.
With the fall in the birth-rate the question of infantile mortality becomes increasingly a
matter of national import. Too much attention can scarcely be given to the question, and as a
first step information should be obtained as to the mortality prevailing in the different Wards.
This can only be obtained by having returns of the births in each Ward. Hitherto the returns have
been (and are) limited to the Registration Sub-Districts, areas too large for the study of the subject.
At the present juncture the future work of your Public Health Department will be of prime
interest to you. Before proceeding to deal with this matter I wish here to express my appreciation
of the prompt action taken to supply the deficiencies in the staff of the Department to which I
alluded in my last report. Relatively large as the increase has been, there is ample work for all
members.
During the current year the work imposed by the Factory and Workshops Act, 1901, will
absorb much time. The certification of underground bakehouses which must be complete prior to
January 1st, 1904, will require each bakehouse to be visited and reported on. Supervision will
then be requisite of necessary alterations whilst in progress. The conditions under which much of
the bread supply of the Metropolis is prepared are at present not only unsatisfactory for the proper,
preparation of a most important foodstuff, but eminently prejudicial to the health of those engaged
in such work.
The supervision of houses let in lodgings, as part of the great question of the housing of the
people, will receive close attention, The census figures which I have briefly summarized in the first
part of my Report show that an improvement has of late years taken place in the housing of the