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62
Alcoholism.
97. There were four deaths from alcoholism and 14 from
cirrhosis of the liver, making a total of 18 deaths definitely
attributed to alcohol, compared with 40, 42, 27, 24, and 17 in the
five preceding years. In addition to these there were 327 deaths
from diseases 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 four preceding years were 313,
335, 336, and 347 respectively.
98. The death-rate from alcoholism,and cirrhosis of the liver
was 0.14 in the Borough, and 0.25 in the County. There is one
licensed house per 658 population in the Borough, and one per
266 in River Ward. Four licensed houses in River Ward have
been closed under the Licensing Act, 1904.
The statement respecting "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 house-tohouse
inspection. (See Annual Report, 1905, page 59).
The example of Woolwich in issuing the statement re "Physical
Deterioration" has since been followed in nearly all the Metropolitan
Boroughs, and about 100 provincial Boroughs, Urban and
Rural areas.
Syphilis.
99. There were 9 deaths from syphilis compared with 8, 14,
14, and 10, in the four preceding years. Five of these occurred in
the Workhouse Infirmary, and one in an outlying Institution.
Five were males and four females; four were infants under five
years. There were in addition 15 deaths from general paralysis,
tabes dorsalis (locomotor-ataxy), and peripheral neuritis (diseases