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METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT,
Vestry of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch.
THIRD QUARTERLY REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
TO THE
Vestry of Saint Leonard's Shoreditch.
GENTLEMEN,
I have the honour to lay before you my Third Quarterly Report on the
Health of the population of Shoreditch, and the Sanitary condition of the district.
It refers to the thirteen weeks ending on the 27th December, 1856.
This period has not been marked by the excessive prevalence of any epidemic
disease, nor by an unusual amount of sickness and mortality from diseases of other
kinds. The following summaries and analyses of the sickness and death returns which
it is my duty to present to you, are nevertheless not deficient in interest and instruction.
Independently of immediate applications directed to the improvement of the health
standard of the inhabitants, which is of course the direct and paramount object to
be kept steadily in view, these summaries and analyses constituting as they do parts
of a series, will, in proportion as they accumulate, acquire a constantly increasing
value.
I have much satisfaction in being able to state, that the want of full information
as to the causes of death, which has hitherto impeded the prosecution of
sanitary inspection and improvement, and deprived me of most essential materials for
statistical analysis and comparison, will be henceforth supplied. From the commencement
of the present year, every Metropolitan Medical Officer of Health will, by the
liberal aid of the Registrar-General, be regularly furnished with the Registrars' weekly
mortality returns. Any future Reports which I may have the honour of submitting,
will, I trust, through this aid, be more complete in information, and more satisfactory
as records of sanitary improvements accomplished. These returns will, by continually
pointing out the disease-producing localities, entail more labour on your Medical Officer
and Inspectors, but this I am sure will be cheerfully undertaken.