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Report of the Medical Officer of Health, for the last Quarter, 1856. 3
The second, I have much enlarged; in it are means for a practical consideration of the
health of this, as compared with parishes, wealthier, more or less densely populated, and of
higher level: and, as bearing upon sanitary improvement, the comparative wealth or poverty of
parishes, and whether taxed or not to the poor, in proportion to their means, are also shewn.
The third, gives the weekly particulars of Deaths, distinguishing those from chest diseases,
from zymotic diseases, and diarrhoea; the averages of past years; the weekly mean of
Barometric readings ; the highest and lowest readings of the Thermometer; the dew points
and the amount of moisture in the atmosphere—it gives the prevailing winds, and the amount
of rain-fall. I am indebted for the Meteorological Observations, to the reports of Dr. Thomson,
of St. Thomas's Hospital. In this Table will be seen a decrease of 47 in deaths from zymotic
disease, and a total decrease of 63, notwithstanding, in chest diseases alone, there was an
increase of 27 deaths during the quarter.
The fourth Table gives the mortality of the Parish, in particulars of districts, diseases,
ages, and sexes; it also gives the births.
The fifth, gives the amount of illness among the Out-door Poor. I expect, in future, to be
able to give you a Table of the particular diseases from which the poor suffer; the Returns
are at present not sufficiently perfect to enable me to do so. In the Kent-road District
734 cases have been attended, of which 326 were new. In the London-road District 874, of
which 342 were new. In the Borough-road District 1213, of which 365 were new.
The sixth, refers exclusively to the Workhouse—the character of the complaints and
infirmities of the inmates, and their ages, are shown in it. The average number of inmates,
ill and well, is 437; 134 cases remained in the sick wards from the last quarter, 155 have
been admitted since. In my last Quarterly Report, I adverted to the fact, that we entertain
casual poor or strangers much more than other parishes; and at least four times more than
we have room for; 4018 visited us during the quarter, and had relief; the numbers for
Bermondsey was not 4018, but only 523. I suppose they might be counted even by units or
tens in some London parishes—another most sufficient reason for an equalized form of rate.
The seventh, gives in tabular form the particulars of our sanitary inspections. The 124
cases there recorded, involved about 600 visits, many more, I hope, in proportion to the cases,
than will be necessary hereafter; and to 47 of these cases my special attention was drawn on
account of illness, more or less connected with sanitary defects.
(Signed) WILLIAM RENDLE.
TABLE 1.—Quarterly Mortality.
1854
1855
1856
Average Mortality of the
Quarters from 1845 to 1854
First Quarter
...
...
304
373.6
Second „
...
...
291
294.8
Third „
...
...
350
431.1
Fourth Quarter
426
290
284
391.8