View report page

REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOB, THE YEAR 1920.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in submitting to you my twentieth Annual Report,
which deals with the Vital and Sanitary Statistics of the Borough of Stepney for
the year 1920.
Population.
The population estimated by the Registrar-General is, in my opinion, too low.
The population at the Census of 1911 was 279,801. At this period there was a great
deal of empty property, but in 1920 very few empty houses existed in the Borough
of Stepney, and no habitable house remained unoccupied for any length of time.
Allowing that a certain number of houses have been converted into business
premises, and some common lodging houses are now utilised for other purposes,
270,000 is in my opinion a fair estimate. This figure is confirmed to a certain
extent by the number of ration books issued from the Local Food Office. It is
difficult to understand how the population of Stepney has been reduced by nearly
15 per cent., which is the case if the figures of the Registrar-General (242,000) are
to be accepted. I have estimated the birth-rate and death-rate on the assumption
that the population at the middle of the year was 270,000.
Births.
The total number of births during the year was 7,347—3,676 males, and 3,671
females, or 1,884 more than in the previous year.
The birth-rate was 27.2 per 1,000 of the population, while that for the whole
of London was 26.5 per 1,000.
1,996 of the births belonged to the Limehousc District.
1,176 of the births belonged to St. George-in-the-East.
3,119 of the births belonged to Mile End Old Town.
1,056 of the births belonged to the Whitechapel District.
There was an increase in the number of births in each of the four districts
81 illegitimate births and 182 still births were notified during the year.
A 2