View report page

17
Lewisham—
One scarlatina maligna, Mid Kent Cottage.
One ditto, ditto.
One diarrhoea, Silver Street.
Sydenham—
One diarrhoea, Wells Road.
One ditto, West Kent Park.
Ono carbuncle, pyaemia, Rutland Terrace.
Seventeen deaths have occurred in thoso whose age had not reached ten years, five in
those above fifty, five in those above sixty years, and four in those above seventy years.
With regard to the health of the district, I have to report upon the existence of many
cases of fever in Lewisham; the existence of a generally mild form of scarlet fever,
and inflammatory sore throat in several parts of the district (the latter occasioned by the
humid state of the atmosphere), and mumps endemic at the North Surrey School at
Anerley.
The fever at present prevalent at Lewisham, has, in former years, always spread;
and Mr. Stott, the Medical Officer of the Lewisham Poor Law District, informs me
that he attributes the fact of the disease not spreading on this occasion to the great
improvements which have, comparatively at a recent date, been made in the drainage of
the place, an opinion in which I fully concur; but the very existence of this disease
indicates that, though much has been done to purify the atmosphere in the neighbourhood
of our homes, and render the supply of drinking water easy of access and of a
pure quality, yet, still much remains to be done, and I believe that we must never be
satisfied until every court, alley, and street is rendered dry, and every house made to
communicate directly with the sewer; I say directly, as many houses, supposed to be
drained, still retain receivers, or cesspools; and others only communicate with the
sewers through the medium of old drains, occasionally constructed in the ditches which
existed, and still do exist, although covered over.
Several neighbourhoods require improvement:—Sandwcll Place, Lewisham. In
some families residing hero constant ill-health is kept up by the want of proper drainage.
Montpelier Row, Blackheath; Paragon Mews, Wells Road; and West Kent Park,
Sydenham.
The drainage of Ravensbourne Villas, Stanstead Lane, is very defective.
The road at back of Forester Inn, leading to Hindsley's Place, Sydenham, is in a
dangerous and offensive state.
Water supply is still urgently required by many of the inhabitants of this district.
Meteorological tables and tables of mortality are appended as usual.