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1925]
2
THE HEALTH OF ISLINGTON—PAST AND PRESENT.
In this Report, which is a survey report, besides the statistics for 1925,
Tables are given for past years, and some special Tables for a period of five years.
It is, therefore appropriate to deal briefly with the matter of the past changes
which have come over our borough from its existence as a mere village on the line
of what is now Essex Road, its extension still rural in the beginning of the
eighteenth century when it was largely used as a health resort, its parish government
and, finally, its establishment as a Metropolitan Borough.
As regards health comparisons, the latter Vestry administration and the
Borough administration, as far as health administration is concerned, are on the
same lines, the late Medical Officer of Health being the successor of the other
Vestry Medical Officers, and our statistics are in continuity.
To get an idea of the early conditions one has to refer to old histories.
Lewis's "History of Islington," published in 1842, stated that in the year 1708
Islington possessed 325 houses. It was a progressive neighbourhood even in
those times, for in 1754" the number was 937; in 1788 it was 1,060; in 1793 it had
risen to 1,200, and the number of inhabitants in that year was 6,660. According
to the return in 1801 the number of houses in the parish was 1,745, of which 80
were uninhabited. Further details could be gleaned from the Censuses of 1811,
1821, and 1831.
Coming to the question of medical supervision, Islington during the period of
1856 to 1871, had, as Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Edward Ballard, M.D.
(London), with a staff of one Superintendent-Inspector, two Sanitary Inspectors,
and one clerk. Total 5. In 1871, Dr. W. Henry Corfield, M.A., M.D. (Oxon.),
was appointed Medical Officer, and had his staff increased by an extra Sanitary
Inspector and a Dust Inspector. In 1872, Dr. C. Meymott Tidy, M.B. (London),
was appointed Medical Officer, and the staff was increased by two clerks and a
messenger, a total of 10. The officers in those days did not have to do a lot of
things that during the new legislation were included in the duties of present
officers. By 1891, Dr. Tidy's staff had been raised to 15, and this was the staff
when Dr. A. E. Harris, L.R.C.P. (Edin.), commenced under the Vestry in 1892.
In 1895 there were one Chief Inspector and fourteen Sanitary Inspectors, and
new appointments were made of two Workshops Inspectors, one female Inspector
for workshops, and one lodging-house Inspector. In 1899, a Meat Inspector was
appointed.
In 1900 the old Vestry Health Department was taken over by the newly
constituted Borough of Islington, Dr. Harris remaining Medical Officer of Health.
The next important change was the appearance of a Foods and Drugs Inspector in
1904; in 1916 two Health Visitors were appointed. Among other things special
supervision was introduced over the large number of slaughter-houses in
Islington.
In tracing the supervision of the health and sanitary conditions in the
Borough, it will be noted that the Medical Officer of Health's reports only dated
from 1856, and it is necessary to go to the Registrar-General for earlier statistics.
The period from 1841-1850 showed a death-rate of 19.3 per 1,000 of the population. In the period, 1851-1860, the death-rate was 21.4, and the infantile mortality
rate—that is, the number of deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 births