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REPORT.
To the Vestry of the Hamlet of Mile End Old Town.
Gentlemen,
In submitting the Twenty-seventh Annual Report
upon the Public Health and Sanitary Condition of Mile End Old Town
for the year 1882—3, I wish to explain that the reason for its somewhat
late appearance has been the large amount of work devolving upon me
personally as your Medical Officer of Health during the past year, and
up to the present time, no doubt most members of the Vestry have foreseen
this, but I have thought it better to make reference to it as the
Reports of the Officers have to be sent to the Metropolitan Board of
Works.
The statistics are, in all respects, favourable. Table I. shows the
total number of Marriages, Births, and Deaths, in Mile End during the
year ending March last.
BIRTHS.
The number of births was 107 higher than for the previous year,
and approached near double the number of deaths. The birth-rate was
about 4 per 1000 population higher than that for the whole Metropolis,
this will account in a large degree for the high rate of infantile mortality
in this Hamlet, it is also evidence, I fear, of increased overcrowding, as
it certainly is, of rapidly increasing population—the 1,952 excess of
births over deaths represents the natural increase of population, to be
subsequently diminished by early deaths. The female were 64 more
than the male births.
POPULATION AND ACREAGE.
This high birth-rate fully justifies my estimate of the present popu
lation of the Hamlet, 110,000, giving an average of 162 persons to an
acre, compared with 51.6 to an acre in the whole Metropolis — included
in the latter are the extensive parks, open spaces, and commons; to
these, Mile End, in its Central East London position, has none remaining,
the few squares and back gardens being all that are left in that