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

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Strand (Westminster) 1895

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Strand]

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APPENDIX. XXI
In only one district of London, viz.: Whitechapel, is there any
approach to such overcrowding. Moreover in Whitechapel, there are
large numbers of model buildings in which it may be presumed the
sanitary arrangements are good and proportioned to the needs of the
people, whereas, in the represented Area, the houses were for the
most part constructed for the use of one family only, and are unfitted
for the purposes to which they are now put. It has been pointed
out by Dr. Newsholme, in his discussion of the vital statistics of the
Peabody Fund Dwellings, that the number of persons to a room
should be considered in preference to the density per acre. In the
Area, however, we have overcrowding per acre, per house and per
room, in each case to an excessive amount.
Mortality.
The mortality of the Strand District compares unfavourably
with that of London as a whole. That this is due to the influence
of certain parts and not to the condition of the whole district can
readily be shown by the following table : —

TABLE VIII-

Death-rate per 1,000 of the Population.
1891.1892-1893.1894.1895.Average of 6 years.
London21-420-fi20-917-419-8200
Strand District2C-725-02G-519-822-224-1
Registration Sub Districts
St. Anne23-321-123-616-716-320-2
Strand30-329-030-122-728028-0

Thus, while the average for the St. Anne's half of the District is
nearly that of London, the southern part has an average rate of
28 per 1,000.
Having kept a record of the houses given as the addresses of
persons who have died, I have been able to locate certain areas
wherein this high rate has occurred ; I have thus been able to single
out St. Clement Danes and St. Mary-le-Strand as the parishes having
e