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To the Chairman and Members of
The Wanstead Urban District Council.
Gentlemen,
The Annual Report for 1919, which I now have the honour to
submit to you, is presented under conditions widely different from those
which have existed during the earlier years of my official experience as
Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead. Since my last report Peace
has been ratified, and all matters pertaining to the health of the people
have been unified under the new Ministry of Health. It is the wish of
the Ministry that my Annual Report should be fuller than it has been
during the War, and that copies of it should be more freely distributed.
In endeavouring to meet this request I shall arrange the material of the
Report as closely as possible under the headings which the Ministry
suggests, but shall retain the custom of including as an appendix the
Report of the Sanitary and Food Inspector.
POPULATION
The Registrar-General has supplied me with the estimated
numbers of 15,447 for birth-rate and 14,829 for death-rate on which to
calculate the vital statistics.
The Census of 1911 gives the population as 13,831, the number
of inhabited houses as 2,856, and the average number of persons per
house as 4.52. On this basis, the present population v/ould be about
17,000, having regard to the number of houses built since 1911. But
knowing as I do that there are now practically no empty houses and
that a large number of houses which formerly contained one family
now contain two or more, I have no hesitation in saying that the official
population supplied to me is considerably under-estimated.
It follows, therefore, that the Death Rate, which must be
calculated on the official figures, would be considerably lower if it
were possible to have a more accurate estimate of the population.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DISTRICT
The Urban District of Wanstead is situated within the N.E.
section of the London area, and is bounded on the N. by Woodford,
on the E. by Ilford, on the S. by East Ham, and on the W. by Leyton.
Snaresbrook is but a subdivision of Wanstead Parish, and is situated
on the W. side of the Railway Arch, towards the Royal Infant
Orphanage.