London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1859
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham]
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13
A quantity of offensive sewage still runs at the back of Park Road Terrace, Dartmouth
park this is extremely offensive. A connection should be made between this and the
Stanstead Lane sewer.
The drainage from Mr. Smith's houses, Rutland Terrace, should be taken into the
Dartmouth Park sewer; these, and a few other houses, render the ditch along Perry
Vale very offensive, and contaminate the stream.
At Mrs. Appleton's, Lewisham, the drainage is extremely filthy: attention is required
there immediately.
The air-hole to the sewer in Avenue Road allows the escape of foetid gases.
Several houses are in course of erection at Anerley, but no system of drainage is at
present commenced.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
| 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. | |||||
| April 2 | 29.622 | 56°5 | 25°3 | 42°6 | S.W. | 2 | 0.53 |
| 9 | 29.831 | 79.0 | 43.5 | 56.3 | S.W. | 2 | 0.10 |
| 16 | 29.277 | 59.8 | 30.8 | 42.4 | N.W. | 0.86 | |
| 23 | 29.568 | 56.0 | 28.5 | 41.0 | N.E. | - | 0.00 |
| DISTRICTS. | BIRTHS. | DEATHS. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Total. | Males. | Females. | Total. | |
| Blackheath | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Lewisham | 9 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Union Workhouse | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Sydenham | 17 | 8 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Penge | 3 | 3 | 6 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 32 | 21 | 53 | 17 | 12 | 29 |
Gentlemen,
During the month ending upon the 23rd of July, forty-three births and thirty-one
deaths have been registered.
The mortality is, as nearly as possible, the average of the last four years; but,
calculating for increase of population, is decidedly below the mortality which might
have been expected from previous experience; and the health of this district bears a
favourable contrast when compared with others of the metropolitan area.
Three deaths only have taken place from zymotic disease, viz.:—
Hooping cough, Raglan Street, Sydenham.
Erysipelas, Upper Sydenham.
Diarrhœa, Russell Square, Blackheath.
Three deaths have been registered from congestion of the brain, produced by exposure
to the sun's rays.
A case of smallpox has occurred in a young man (not vaccinated) resident in Raglan
Street, and who was sent to the Smallpox Hospital; other members of the family have
been vaccinated, and the disease has not spread; although, from the nature of the
locality, likely to do so.
Diarrhœa has been extensively prevalent in the whole district during the past
fortnight, but only one death has been registered from this cause.