View report page

8
of the period that he has been Medical Officer of the Union, he has never
been able to return a clean bill of health for that place—that he has had
under his care, in proportion to the number of houses, more cases of sickness
therein than in any other place in his Medical District. Although cases of
fever, scarlet-fever, and febricula are of frequent occurrence, yet, cases of
consumption, scrofula, and tuberculous diseases, which, in his opinion, are
either caused, or aggravated, by the continual breathing of a vitiated atmosphere,
have been very numerous.
The opinion of Mr. Sequeira is valuable, for it is founded upon a long
experience; and if my testimony can add to the force of Mr. Sequeira's
opinion I can state that during the fifteen years that I held a similar appointment
to that of Mr. Sequeira, scarcely a day passed without my having
occasion to visit some person in Castle Alley.
As Castle Alley, owing to its confined area, does not admit of effectual
sanitary improvement being carried out, the only thing that can be done with
it is to demolish all the houses therein.
In my report for the Quarter ending Juno, 1873, I stated that if Castle
Alley, New Castle Street, and Wentworth Street, were so widened as to
make a convenient approach to the new Board School, not only would a great
public improvement be effected, but the sanitary condition of the adjacent
localities would be greatly benefited.
Artizans' Dwellings Improvement Act.
As the above-named Act has now come into operation, it is expedient that
I should draw the attention of the Board to some of the most unhealthy
localities of this District: and this I am enabled to do by simply referring you
to my Quarterly Report for March, 1873, where, at page 10, there will be
found a few particulars respecting the unhealthiness of certain blocks of
buildings situated between the South side of Royal Mint Street and Upper
East Smithfield. The total area of the several blocks mentioned in that
Report is about 19,482 square yards, or a little more than four acres. In
this area there are 2369 people, each person having only on an average 8.2
square yards; and the rate of mortality in this locality was in the year 1873
38.4 per 1000, or 12 per 1000 above the rate of mortality for the entire
District. The mortality in the entire District was in 1873, 2471, but in
this year there were 53 weeks; deducting therefore the average number of
deaths (46) for the extra week, and deducting also the deaths (393) of nonresidents
in the London Hospital, the total number of deaths in the District
was 2022, which gives the annual rate of mortality of 26.4 per 1000. The
rate of mortality therefore in the area above mentioned is 50 per cent. in
excess of the rate of mortality of the entire District.
In such overcrowded localities, although deaths from epidemic diseases are
usually very prevalent, yet the deaths from consumption and other tubercular
diseases are far more numerous; for in the year 1874 the deaths from
these causes were 623, or 30.8 per cent. of the total deaths, while the deaths