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9
Public Health in Retrospect
1861-1961
Once again I have been reading the Annual Reports written during
the last century by Dr. William Connor, Medical Officer of Health for
the Parish of Battersea, a Sub-district of the Wandsworth Sanitary
district, and the following information from his Report for the year
1861, together with some comparative figures for 1961, will, I feel sure,
be of interest.
At the Census in 1861 the population of Battersea was stated to be
19,582 (1961—105,758). During the year 505 deaths were registered—
265 males and 240 females (1961—2,168 deaths, 1,030 males and 1,138
females), this figure being 106 in excess of the previous year. Dr. Connor
states—"This increase is attributable to the fatality of scarlet fever,
whooping cough, diarrhoea, and fever. Diseases of the brain, heart,
digestive, and respiratory organs, were also unusually fatal during the
year under review." Of the 505 deaths, 112 occurred in the workhouse,
the infirmary attached to which was the hospital for the entire Sanitary
District composed of Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea, Putney and
Roehampton, and Streatham, including Tooting and Balham. Of these
112 deaths, 92 were of persons in no way connected with the parish of
Battersea. Dr. Connor makes no mention of the number of Battersea
residents who died outside Battersea. (Of the 2,168 deaths registered
in Battersea in 1961, 1,321 were deaths of non-residents, and 380 deaths
of Battersea residents were registered outside the Borough. Of the
corrected figure of 1,227 Battersea deaths, 833 occurred in hospitals.)
The corrected death rate for Battersea in 1861 would appear to have
been about 21 per 1,000 of the population. (1961 death rate—10.87).
Dr. Connor reported that the zymotic (acute infectious) diseases had
been unusually prevalent during the year, and also unusually fatal, 116
deaths occurring from these diseases compared to 68 in 1860. He states
-" This instance of excessive mortality from zymotic disease deserves
to be recorded and remembered as a warning, and will, it is hoped, lead
to the adoption of increased precautionary arrangements.
Speaking of small pox, there is much reason to fear that vaccination,
as is the case almost everywhere, is neglected in this parish to a deplorable
extent. The indifference of parents, among the poorer classes especially,
to submit their offspring to this valuable prophylactic appears to be
increasing in all directions, and to call loudly for the interference of the
legislature. It is indeed almost incredible that such an immense loss of
life as occasionally occurs in some of the poorer districts of the metropolis
and elsewhere should be incurred from the neglect of a preventive
of the most simple and efficacious kind."
Commenting on sickness and mortality amongst the " out-door
poor" or pauper population of Battersea, Dr. Connor states that
the rate of mortality than the amongst this section of the population was considerably
less than the previous year. "This fact is very remarkable,
and not a little encouraging, since it shows, that notwithstanding the
increased mortality amongst all classes, this particular class must have
benefited to a considerable extent by the sanitary improvements that
have been effected within the last few years. The excess of infant