London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of Westminster 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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for remedying these insanitary conditions. In several cases it has been
possible to instal water supply on certain upper floors for the convenience
of the occupants. In spite of the fact that the properties which have
been inspected are very old, and that in many cases the owners have not
had resources sufficient to undertake radical structural renovations,
none were found to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as
to be unfit for human habitation. It may be of interest here to compare
the conditions as regards density of population, incidence of tuberculosis
and case rate of five wards of the City. It has been stated that overcrowding
is most serious in Victoria Ward, and that as a result tuberculosis
is most prevalent. It is evident from a glance at the succeeding
table that this allegation cannot be substantiated. It is true that the
Victoria is the largest ward in the City in area, and also that it contains
Table I.
| Ward. | Population 1921 Census. | Acreage. | Density of population per acre. | Cases of Tuberculosis. | Case rate per 1,000 people. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 37,396 | 555.4 | 95 | 79 | 2.11 |
| St. John | 24,162 | 234 | 114 | 91 | 3.76 |
| Grosvenor | 13,880 | 491.21 | 27 | 19 | 1.36 |
| St. Anne | 6,699 | 53.4 | 124 | 9 | 1.34 |
| Strand | 2,116 | 86.9 | 24 | 17 | 8.03 |
a greater population than any other ward, but it does not follow that the
population is more densely distributed than in other districts, nor does it
follow that there is a higher incidence of tuberculosis in this particular
ward. St. Anne's Ward, where there is the greatest density of population
shows in regard to tuberculosis the fewest cases and also the lowest case
rate per 1,000. The Strand Ward, where the population is most sparse,
shows by far the highest case rate for tuberculosis. Grosvenor Ward,
with its great open spaces and industrial dwellings of the best type,
modern and well kept, shows a density of population almost as low as
the Strand, but it shows a higher incidence of tuberculosis than St. Anne's,
where the population is almost five times as dense. Sufficient has been
said to show the futility of drawing conclusions without taking into
consideration density of population and the case rate relative to the
number of people.
In the course of a general survey throughout the City, 841 houses
have been noted as being in a state not reasonably fit in all respects for
habitation, and the condition of a few is such that although they
have been made reasonably fit owing to action by the sanitary authority,
yet in course of time they may lapse into the category of being so