Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell]
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83
Camberwell 17.97; that of Peckham 21.68; and that of
St. George's 19.98. That these results are eminently
satisfactory is obvious; for the highest mortuary rate
among them (that of Peckham) is less than that of London,
and very little above those of the northern and
western groups of districts, whilst that of Dulwich does
not amount to the half of that of any of the other parochial
districts, and the death-rate of the whole Parish is
less than that of the healthiest of the Registrar-General's
groups of districts. But can we trust them implicitly ? I
fear not. For, as I have previously pointed out, the
estimates of population upon which I have based my
determination of the death-rates, although they are
the best I can offer, are doubtless erroneous. And,
indeed, I have reason to believe, from an examination
of the birth-rates, and from various other considerations
which I cannot put into a numerical form, that while
my estimate of the population of the entire Parish
exceeds by little, if at all, the actual population, I
have decidedly over-estimated those of Camberwell
and of St. George's, and considerably under-estimated
that of Peckham. My greatest error, however, is in the
case of Dulwich, the population of which I am certain
is not nearly so great as my calculations make it.
The effect of these corrections would be to raise somewhat
the mortuary rates of Camberwell and St.
George's, to diminish in some degree that of Peckham,