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Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health—1871—72.
3
Parish of Saint George the Martyr Southwark
annual report
made to the vestry
by the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
for the year ending lady-day, 1872.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,
Since I presented my last Report to you, the results of the Census, then just taken,
have been published, so that now we know accurately the number of persons who dwell in
this Parish, and the number of houses occupied. I told you in that Report, that the mortality
had notably decreased in each of the Sub-districts, but at the same time expressed it
as my opinion, that the decrease would to some extent be found due to a diminished population,
consequent on the destruction of houses for railways and new streets. This opinion
has been found true as regards one Sub-district, namely, the London-road. In this Subdistrict,
considerable improvements have been made; two or more narrow streets of
wretched and dilapidated houses have been removed, with several small unventilated and
filthy courts and alleys, and which have been replaced by broader streets, and houses of a
superior class, whilst the courts and alleys have been utterly abolished. There were 231
fewer inhabitants in the last Census than in that of 1861; and the increase in the two other
Sub-districts has been small, in comparison with former numberings. Thus in the
Borough-road Sub-district, the increase was but 26, in contrast with 805 of the Census of
1861; in the Kent-road Sub-district, there was 778 increase in contrast with that of 1527 ;
and in the London-road Sub-district, in place of an increase of 1353, there was, as I have
told you, a decrease of 231. The increase of the population of the District amounted to
573. Since 1831 there has been a gradual diminution of the rate of increase. In the ten
years from 1831 to 1841, the increase reached to 6,875; in the ten years from 1841 to 1851,
the increase fell to 5,180 ; and in the ten years from 1851 to 1861, the fall was still greater,
amounting only to 3,685. The population now numbers 56,083 persons. I must remark,
however, that the decrease of the mortality in the year 1870-71, occurred with an increase