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to the
LIMEHOUSE BOARD OF WORKS.
September 19/A, 1860.
GENTLEMEN,
In presenting to you the report of the sanitary condition
for the half-year ending at Lady Day, 1860, it is not presumed to give
any commentary or to call your attention in particular to any special
facts. My recent introduction to office will at once present itself to
your consideration as an apology for this step, as well as the very
imperfect data afforded in so limited a time for making any useful
deductions. The census for the United Kingdom will in a few months
be completed; the striking changes especially remarkable in Limehouse
and Shadwell during the last ten years, will have then been rectified,
and I shall then be in a position to enter on the subject of the vital
statistics of the district, more satisfactorily to myself, as well as to
realise the expectations of the Hoard.
In the meantime I have to ask that this may be regarded more as
a formal compliance with the statute under which I have the honor to
be your Medical Officer of Health.
In Table 1 will be found a summary and specification of fatal
disease for each district, for the 26 weeks ending at Lady Day; the
mortality in Wapping and Ratcliff will be found proportionately large,
arising from the circumstance of 37 deaths in the former, and 24 in
the latter workhouse; the deaths in Limehouse workhouse were 3.
In other respects there is no great difference as to mortality in relation
to the amount of population.
In reference to special disease, it will be seen that there are 8
deaths from small-pox, in only 3 of which cases is it quite certain that
vaccination had been performed.
There have been 67 inquests; but, as 9 of the deaths were