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Public Health Department,
333, Kennington Road, S.E.
February, 1903.
To the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth.
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in presenting you with my Annual
Report 1903, dealing with the Vital ana Sanitary Statistics of
the Borough of Lambeth, and, in doing so, would draw your
special attention to the lowness of the death-rate from all causes,
and the infantile mortality rate, the former being 15.2 per 1000
of the population, and the latter 125.8 deaths under one year per
1000 births. These figures are lower than any yet registered in
the Borough or Parish of Lambeth, and augur well for the future,
if the Council continues to pay the same strict attention to sanitary
matters in the future as in the past, even making due allowance for
the special meteorological conditions that obtained during 1903,
and which were exceedingly favourable from the point of view of
the Public Health generally and of the Infantile Mortality in
particular. As matters calling for special comment during the
year 1903, I may draw attention to the following:—
1. The Council, after careful consideration, decided in favour
of the establishment for Lambeth Borough of a Municipal Milk
Depot, from which could be obtained by the poorer classes, at a
nominal cost, a supply of sterilised (humanised) milk, the use of
which, it was felt, would help to materially lessen the large
infantile death-rate that is noticeable chiefly in the Inner Wards
of the Borough. The L.G.B. has officially decided, however, that,
in London, money for such a purpose cannot legally, in the
present state of the Law, be taken from the Rates—a most
unfortunate decision as far as London is concerned, and an unjust
one if Provincial Towns (such as Liverpool, St. Helen's, Glasgow,
etc.) are to be allowed to spend their rates for such a purpose
without let or hindrance. The Lambeth Council will have to
attack the subject of excessive infantile mortal ity in other ways.
2. A small outbreak of Smallpox occurred at Rowton House,
within the Borough, but by the energetic preventative measures
that were immediately taken in connection therewith, the outbreak
was limited to 25 cases (out of an average number of 300—