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2 Parish of Saint George the Martyr, Southwark.
and to employ assiduously the ordinary means of cleanliness, this substance might be found
efficient in making the London atmosphere healthy.
In the fourth Table is seen the proportion of deaths in the different districts : in that of
the Borough Road the mortality of the Workhouse is included, but as some of these cases come
from the Kent and London Road districts, the true numbers will vary somewhat from those here
represented, as thus—Kent Road, 99 ; London Road, 94 ; Borough Road, 103. The mortality and
sickness, as this table shows, is much greater according to the population, in the Borough Road
district, than in the others ; from several known causes, but chiefly from overcrowding. Here
also are the particulars of 2535 cases of illness, 1341 of these attended by the Parish Surgeons,
and 1042 at the Royal South London Dispensary. The last number represents a large number
of poor persons not of this Parish ; but as a considerable number of our pnor are attended at the
Surrey Dispensary, situated in a neighbouring Parish, and therefore not here noted ; the error is
probably not great. Among others, are noted 148 cases of measles, 45 scarlet fever, 43 whooping
cough, 134 diarrhcea and 81 fever; as against 13 measles, 13 scarlet fever, 49 whooping cough,
77 diarrhoea and 141 fever, recorded in the corresponding quarter last year: an excels on this
quarter of 135 cases of measles, 32 scarlet fever, 57 diarrhoea, and less cases of fever by 60.
Out of forty children in the Deaf and Dumb Asylum who had not had measles, fifteen took the
disease. No case of fever has been received into the Fever Hospital from this Parish. I have
had to make the same remark quarter after quarter. Fever cases were double what they are now
when the Vestry was first instituted : there can be no doubt lhat the sanitary surveillance and
cleansing of the poorest and sickliest districts must have had a great effect upon the class of
diseases most affected by impurities. A purer atmosphere is in my opinion the grand requisite
to avert or greatly to diminish all these diseases ; they fall chiefly upon the young; and the young
in this Paiish are too much indoors in foul crowded and ill ventilated places, or in schools
defective in sanitary requisites. Since the Vestry was first elected here, 1796 orders, chiefly for
sanitary improvement, have been issued; and the work ordered is recorded as done in 1547 of
these cases. No question, if the work so ordered had been done under inspection in the best
manner, our sick and death list would be much less than it is ; great good however has been
effected. Eight cases of small pox are recorded ; one, sent to the Small Pox Hospital: of late I
have had no such cases to record ; small pox almost promises to die out: I have before reported
as to the causes why the disease still exists here ; the supervision of vaccination is not in the
proper hands ; it is not sufficiently pressed; nor is there a sufficient security that the operation is
performed in the best manner-—the only death now recorded was in a child unvaccinated—the
number of births was during the quarter 465 ; the number vaccinated by the appointed officers
263 only; the total number registered, about the same: 37 cases of illness and 68 of insanity are
reported at Bethlehem Hospital; those of little import are not noticed: one feature noted
here and elsewhere, probably from the hot and comparatively stagnant atmosphere, was, a
remarkably debility even where actual disease was not produced: when such a disposition
prevails, the character or type of disease is that, of want of power; this has been especially
manifest in the diseases of children during this quarter: as a mere illustration I would observe
that the most remarkable effects of ihis kind appeared in connection with the last great
influenza epidemic; when people fainted and languished as they went about, and were totally
prostrated in a few hours by slight disease.
The fifth Table shows the sickness among the poor week by week in the respective
districts, and a comparison of the totals with those of the corresponding quarter. I may remark
here that as usual we received more than our share of poor stragglers at the Workhouse : 3101
" casuals" were admitted and relieved. During this quarter, by permission of the Guardians,
I vifited the Mitcham establishment, and found the children there remarkably unhealthy—the
total number averaged from St. George's, 240; and from Mile End whose children are farmed
there, 200. Out of these 440, there were, one week, 145 ill; 130 of them with scrophulous diseases ;
second week 90, third week 98, fourth w eek 110; of these 7 had itch, 97 scrophula, including 62
with bad eyes. The children were frequently sent from Mile End in a most filthy and
neglected state, afflicted with itch and vermin. I was received most courteously by the Guardians
and prompt measures were ordered. This does not come under the jurisdiction of the \estry, but
I thought it right as the Medical Officer of Health of the Parish, to visit and note these things,
and to offer my services to the Board of Guardians, and as your officer to report that I had done so.
I now come to the sixth or mortality Table, here are recorded 296 deaths, wiih the
particulars of sex, age and disease : in the margin are the numbers of deaths from corresponding
diseases during the second quarter last year. The Zymotic deaths are one-fourth more, 81 to 60;
20 of the cases in excess were from one disease alone, measles. Darrhaaa and fever both, show a
less mortality. Two of the deaths under the seventeenth head were from poison, Cyanide of
Potassium, a chemical used in Photography. Twenty-five persons died aged over 70 years; II of
these were males and 14 femalts ; 10 were widows, 17 of them aged people were very poor and
died in the Workhouse or back streets.
I have the usual story to tell, that more than half our deaths take place under 10 years
of age j I am not enough of a visionary to expect that children shall not. die, that all premature
deaths might be prevented ; but 167 ought not to be the proportion out of 296 ; this represents a
very large number who yield but anxiety and expence, who inherit suffering and pass quickly