London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1858
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham]
This page requires JavaScript
26
There is no drainage except that into open water course.
The milk supply of some parts of this district is very inferior in quality; I have examined
samples of it which are considerably reduccd with water, and probably by the
abstraction of cream. The cows are in many instances constantly confined to stalls,
are fed upon stimulating food, and live in an impure atmosphere. This, from injuring
the animals' health, also deteriorates the quality of the milk. There can be no reason
why, in this country district, cows should in the summer time be shut up at all. They
ought to be constantly feeding in the open air.
Meteorological tables and tables of mortality are appended as usual.
| Week ending. | Weight of air. Barometer corrected. Mean inches. | Temperature of Air. Thermometer. | Prevailing winds. | Rainy days. | Amount of rain in inches. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest. | Lowest. | Mean of daily readings. | |||||
| June 26 | 30.091 | 86°0 | 48°9 | 64°5 | S.W. & N.E. | 2 | 0.06 |
| J uly 3 | 29.954 | 79.0 | 45.3 | 58.6 | N.W. | - | 0.00 |
| 10 | 26.653 | 73.0 | 47.3 | 55.9 | S.W. & N.E. | 6 | 1.37 |
| 17 | 29.834 | 88.2 | 51.5 | 66.4 | S.W. | 1 | 0.61 |
| 24 | 29.782 | 79.2 | 49.3 | 62.9 | S.W. | 3 | 0.37 |
I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
F. E. WILKINSON,
Sydenham, 29th July, 1853. Medical Officer of Health.
| DISTRICTS. | BIRTHS. | DEATHS. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Total. | Males. | Females. | Total. | |
| Blackheath | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Lewisham | 7 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Union Workhouse | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Sydenham | 8 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Penge | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| N. S. Industrial School . | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 24 | 24 | 48 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
Gentlemen,
During the month the health of the Penge Ward (which I had occasion in my last
report particularly to bring before your notice), has considerably improved, and although
four fresh cases of malignant throat disease have been reported to me, only one death
has taken place from this cause.
The remaining wards of the district are in a very healthy state.
The deaths registered in the month from the 24th July to the 22nd August, have
been 28.
During the corresponding period in 1857, they were 41 in number.
Six deaths have, however, taken place from epidemic disease, or in other words,
disease called into activity by local causes, viz.:—
Blackheath.—Fever, Camden Cottages. Diarrhœa, Essex Place.
Lewisham.—Diarrhœa, Ladywell.
Pcnge.—One noma, North Surrey Industrial School. Cynancha maligna, near the
Crooked Billet.
Sydenham.—Scarlatina, Peak Hill. No proper drainage exists here.
Measles are still endemic at the North Surrey Industrial School, but no death has