London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Woolwich 1900

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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95
The northern half of Barnfield Road is too narrow to be
healthy, and is also improperly paved. An improvement
scheme here is very desirable, but the area is not bad enough
to be dealt \vith by closing order.
Table BJshows that although the general death rate and
deaths per 1000 births are higher than in the Reidhaven Road
District, the diarrhcea rate is decidedly lower, which agrees
with the opinion I have given that the soil on which the former
area is built is a principal cause of its unhealthiness.
On the other hand the deaths from alcoholism per cent, of
total deaths are much higher in the Princes Read area, and
probably alcoholism aggravating and causing other diseases is
a principal cause of the high mortality in this area, and is
doubtless connected with the fact that the area has five public
houses within 2 minutes walk of its centre.
Frequent inspections of this district have been made for
years, but a lady sanitary inspector or health visitor might do
a great deal that a male inspector cannot do, towards reducing
the high infantile mortality.
Unfortunately the Council has no powers which will enable
it directly to deal with intemperance.

Table A.

Pbinces Road Area.

Vital Statistics for 1897-8-9. Number of Deaths.

Year.Total.Under 1 year.1-5Diph.Entrc.Diarrhoea.Phthisis.Other Tuber. Dis'se.Alcoholism.
189723541223
18982411313
189922724411
Total692396934
Average.237.632311.3