London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Woolwich 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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58
from disease of the brain and nervous system (excluding meningitis),
heart, bloodvessels, and kidneys, of which a large proportion
were certainly caused directly or indirectly by alcohol. The
deaths from these causes in the three preceding years were 313,
335, and 336 respectively. The increase in 1906 as compared
with 1905 is wholly accounted for by increase of deaths from
"Other diseases of brain and nervous system" (mainly convulsions)
in infants under one year, attributable, largely, to the warm
summer, and not due to alcoholism.
98. The following table shows the death-rates from alcoholism and cirrhosis of liver in the past five years and in 1906 in various divisions of the Borough compared with London.
| Public Houses per cent. of total houses. | Deaths from Alcoholism per 1000 population. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-5 Average. | 1906. | |||
| The Borough | 1·0 | 0·30 | 0·16 | |
| Woolwich Parish | 2·0 | 0·46 | 0·25 | |
| River Ward, South | 2·9 | 0·80 | 0·09 | |
| Plumstead Parish | 0·5 | 0·24 | 0·13 | |
| St. Nicholas Ward | 0·2 | 0·25 | 0·18 | |
| Eltham | 0·6 | 0·04 | nil. | |
| London County | - | 0·28 | 0·26 | |
The marked reduction is very satisfactory. Three public
houses in the South River Ward have been closed under the
Licensing Act. The statement re "Physical Deterioration and
Alcoholism" which was issued as a poster in 1905 is now appended
to the other leaflets, and left at all houses in the course of houseto-house
inspection. (See Annual Report 1905, page 59,)
The example of Woolwich in issuing the statement re "Physical
Deterioration" has since been followed in 14 Metropolitan and 86
provincial Boroughs, and Urban or Rural Areas.