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ANNUAL REPORT
of the
Medical Officer of Health for the Urban District of
Barking Town, in the County of Essex.
For the Year ended December 31st, 1912.
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council
of Barking Town.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you the Annual
Report upon the Sanitary condition of your district for the
year 1912.
Viewing the year as a whole. I am glad to be able to state
that the prevalence of all epidemic and other diseases
was below the average, except in the case of whooping
cough. The general death-rate was extremely low, only on
one previous occasion has the figure been so low. The birthrate,
whilst showing a fall when compared with the previous
year, tends to become a fixed rate when a group and not
single years are considered. The most pleasing feature is,
however, the fact that the rate of Infantile Mortality is the
lowest on record. The meteorological conditions to some extent
no doubt were favourable, as the winter and autumn were
mild, the summer wet and somewhat cold, and hence these diseases
of infantile life peculiar to these times show a low rate
of mortality. It will be seen in the following: table that the
rainfall in the month of August established a record.