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268
APPENDIX No. 2.
ANNUAL REPORT
on the
SANITARY CONDITION OF THE PARISH
of
St. Margaret and St. John, Westminister,
Ending March, 1889,
By BARNARD HOLT, F.R.C.S,
Medical Officer of Health.
To the Members of the United Vestry.
Gentlemen,
The present report will present only a portion of the
advantages that will accrue to the United Parishes by the
appointment of fresh Inspectors, whose main duty will be to
devote their time to sanitary improvements. The varied duties
have heretofore mainly prevented such a constant survey of the
parishes as is absolutely necessary, not only to add to the
comfort of the poor, but to protect them from recurrent
illnesses, to which they have been hitherto subjected A great
portion of the property in Westminster is of so old a date that
patching and repairing only temporarily remedy the evil, and
ere long it must become necessary to pull down very many of
these old houses and re-build them with more modern improvements.
Since the new Inspectors have been appointed a very
much larger number of houses have been visited, and very
considerable improvements have been effected, which must
eventually decrease the death rate.
The number of births registered during the present year
has been 811 males, and 725 females, or a total of 1,536 births,
while the deaths have numbered 509 males, and 461 females,
or a total of 970 deaths; from these, however, must be
deducted 45 as having occurred through accidents, which
reduces the actual number to 925. The deaths during the
year 1888 were 1,241, thus showing a decrease of 316 deaths
as compared with the previous year.
The following is a tabular statement of births and deaths
arranged as to sex :—