ROM 3 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, FOR THF. ROMFORD URBAN DISTRICT FOR THE YEAR 1900. Romford: wilson and whitworth ltd., Steam Printers. ANNUAL REPORT. To the Romford Urban District Council. GP.NTr.KMKN, I beg to present my Annual Report on the Health of the Romford Urban District, for the year ending December 31st, 1900. In former years my reports to you have only referred to the town itself, but during the past year, the Urban District has been extended by the addition of nearly the whole of the Parish of Romford, which hitherto has been incorporated under the Rural Sanitary Authority. Although this alteration did not come into effect until some time after the year commenced, I have thought it best to compile my statistics of health, &o., as though the Urban District's altered area existed as from January 1st, 1900, a course which I hope you will approve of, enabling you, as it does, to form a better idea of the sanitary condition than you would otherwise be able to do. 3 I think, also, it will be in accordance with your wishes if I deal, firstly, with the health, &c., of the town itself, so as to enable you to form an estimate of the health of the town comparatively with other years, and, secondly, with the whole of the Urban District, including the town and the contiguous but Rural portion of the Parish of Romford, formerly under the Rural, but now transferred to the Urban District. Romford Town. 145 deaths were registered as having occurred in the town of Romford, during the year; I do not include amongst this number those deaths which took place amongst the inmates of the Union Workhouse, except the deaths of actual residents of the town who have died there. 64 deaths were registered as having occurred at that Institution, mainly of aged peoplo, most of whom came from those parts of the Romford Union beyond the limits of the Urban District. Eliminating these and including the deaths of town residents removed to the Union "Workhouse, the deaths for the town itself were 145. As far as I am able to judge, an opinion, which can only be formed on vague surmises, considering the difficulty in estimating the number of new residents who come every year (and which will be verified or not by the approaching census), I estimate the population of the town at 11,000. The death-rate for the past year would therefore be 13.1 per 4 1,000 of the population. The number of births registered during the year was 318 (158 males, 160 females), the birth-rate, therefore, being 28.9 per 1,000. The following table shows the birth-rate and death-rate for the last five years. Romford. Birth-rate. Death-rate. 1896 35.8 12.3 1897 32.9 12.3 1898 28.5 15.2 1899 30.0 13.05 1900 28.9 13.1 Zymotic diseases caused 9 deaths. Of this number 4 were caused by measles, and 4 by whooping cough, only 1 death resulting from disease (diphtheria, &c.) associated with bad sanitary conditions, so that, although the actual death-rate from infectious diseases was 0.8 per 1,000, the death-rate from disease of the latter type was only 00 9 per 1000. The mortality from preventable diseases for the last five years has been respectively, 1.7, 0'9, 08, 0'2, 08. The town had no great outbreak of infectious disease duriug the year, with the exception of Measles and Whooping Cough; these prevailed rather extensively, 5 Measles causing the Elementary Schools to be closed for a period, and Whooping Cough considerably diminishing the number of school attendances. The cause of death from the various diseases are shown in the statistical table, compiled according to the requirements of the Local Government Board. There were registered during the year, the deaths of 8 persons who were over 80 years of age. 31 children died under one year of age, the death-rate for children under one year c.f age being 3.2 per 1,000. During the year 43 cases of infectious disease were notified, the different diseases occurring as tabled below. Scarlet Fever 5 Diphtheria 23 Typhoid Fever 7 Erysipelas 9 Total 43 Nine cases of infectious disease were removed to the Ilford Isolation Hospital—our own hospital (jointly with the Rural district) is now complete and will shortly be opened for the reception of patients. The hospital, situated on the Dageuham road, about 1½ miles from the town, has been built on the most approved sanitary principles, and I fully expect that this long wanted addition to the sanitary requirements of the neighbourhood will be of great use, not only in successfully treating cases of infectious disease which cannot be isolated at home, but will be of material assistance to your sanitary 6 officials in preventing the spread of infectious disease. Every case of infectious disease notified to me is reported to the Sanitary Inspector, who visits and reports to me in all cases which I do not personally investigate, and who also supplies disinfectants, sees to the patient's removal to the Isolation Hospital when such a course is adopted, and disinfects the premises, bedding, clothing, &c. Romford Parish Extra-Urban but now included in thk Urban District. Taking the Urban District as a whole, which now includes those portions of Romford Parish formerly under the Rural Council Authority, the deaths registered during the year amongst residents (not including those persons in the Union Workhouse, who belonged to other parishes of the Union) were 170, the births were 388, the birth-rate and the deathrate for the whole district being, respectively (estimating the population, as I do, to be 13,150), 29.5 and 12 9 per 1,000 of the population. At the end of the year there was no infectious disease existing in the district. Periodical inspections of the various parts of the district have been made, a few samples of drinking water, whose purity was suspected, have been analysed by me, and when found to be impure, the South Essex Company's water has been laid on. Insanitary conditions have in certain instances been remedied by the intervention of the Sanitary Inspector. 7 The various bake-houses and slaughter-houses have been inspected and found in a satisfactory condition. Tables of mortality and of sickness, compiled in accordanœ with the requirements of the Local Government Board's instructions, are appended to this report. In concluding my report, I wish to draw the Council's attention to the following necessary improvements to the Sanitary condition of the district, and, whilst knowing that they have not escaped the Council's attention, to impress upon the Council the desirability of their proceeding with them with as little delay as possible : (I) the provision of a system of sewerage for the Collier Row and part of the Harold Wood Wards, and (2) the curbing, channelling, and making up of those roads where houses have been extensively erected. The want of a proper system of sewerage removal causes repeated nuisances injurious to health, and the stagnant water on badly constructed roads, in the immediate vicinity of dwelling houses is, undoubtedly, a prolific cause of damp and disease. I am, Gentlemen, Tour obedient Servant, ALFRED WRIGHT. The Lodgb, Romford, March 14 th, 1901. 8 TABLE X. ROMFORD URBAN DISTRICT. Year. Population estimated to Middle of each Year. Births. Deaths under One Yeah of Age. Deaths at all Ages. Total. Deaths in Public Institutions. Deaths of Nonresidents registered in District. Deaths of Residents registered beyond District. Deaths at all Ages. Nett, N umber. Bate. Number. Rate per 1 000 Births registered. Number. Rate. Number. Rate. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1890. 1891. 1192. During; the past yea , the Urban and Rural Districts have been re-arranged, so tha : 1 cannot give averages for past years. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1890. 1897. 1198. 1899. Averages for vears 1890-99 1900. 13,900 388 28.7 42 3.1 226 16*7 66 53 171 12.6 Area of District in acres (exclusive of area covered by water), 5,629. Total population at all ages, 10,100 Number of inhabited houses, 2,271. At Census of 1891. Average number of persons per house, 14. TABLE II. ROMFORD URBAN DISTRICT. Names of Localitifs. ROMFORD WARDS. COLLIER ROW WARD. HAROLD WOOD WARD. Yuan. Population estimated to middle of each year. Births registered. Deaths at all Ages. Deaths under 1 year. Population estimated to middle of each year. Births registered. Deaths at all Ages. Deaths under 1 year. Population estimated to middle of each year. Births registered. Deaths at all Ages. Deaths under 1 year. Population estimated to middle of each year. Births registered. Deaths at all | Age*. Deaths under 1 year. Population estimated to middle of each year. Births registered. Deaths at all Ages. Deaths under 1 year. Population estimated to middle of eaco year. Births registered. Deaths at all j Ages. Deaths under 1 year. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. 1890 1891 8,408 1892 1893 1194 During the past year part of the localities in the Collier Row and Harold Wood Wards, have been transferred from the Rural to the Urban District, so that it is hardly possible to give the average. 1895 8,960 292 136 40 1896 9,200 330 109 40 1897 9,500 313 127 37 1891 10,000 326 132 31 1899 10,500 324 141 32 Averages of Years 1891 to 1899. 9,632 317 129 36 1900 11,000 318 161 36 850 30 10 1 1,500 40 11 4 9 TABLE m. Casks or Infectious Disease notified during the Year 1900, in the Romford Urban District. notifiable disease. Cases notified in >Vhoi.e District. Total Cases notified Locality. in each No. of Cases removed to Hospital from each Locality. At all Ages. At Ages —Years. Romford Ward?. Collier Row Ward. Harold Wood Ward. ( Romford Wards. — Under 1. 1 to 5. 6 to 15. 15 to 25. 25 to 65. 65 and upwards. J Smallpox ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Cholera ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Diphtheria 21 ... 9 8 4 ... ... 19 2 ... ... Membranous Croup ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Erysipelas 10 ... ... 1 ... 9 ... 10 ... ... ... Soarlet Fever 5 ... 2 3 ... ... ... 5 ... ... 6 Typhus Ferer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Enteric Fever 7 ... ... 3 2 2 ... 6 1 ... 3 Relapsing Fever ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Continued Fever ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Puerperal Fever ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Plague ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Totals 43 ... 11 15 6 11 ... 40 3 ... 9 Isolation Hospital in course of erection. Patients sent by arrangement to Ilford Hospital, situated at Chadwell Heath. 11 TABLE (IV). ROMFORD URBAN DISTRICT. Causes of, and Ages at, Dbath during Year 1900. Causes ok Deatii. Deaths in whole District at subjoined AoES. Dbaths in Localities (at all Ages.) All Ages Under 1 year. 1 and under 5. 5 and under 15. 15 and under 25. 25 and under 65. 65 and upwards. Town Wards. Collier Row Ward. Harold Wood Ward. deaths in Public Institutions. Small-pox ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Measles 6 ... 3 3 ... ... ... 4 2 ... ... ... ... ... Scarlet Fever ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Whooping-cough 4 3 1 ... ... ... ... 4 ... ... ... ... ... ... Diphtheria and Membranous Croup 1 ... ... ... 1 ... ... ! ... ... ... ... ... ... Croup ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Typhus Fever Enteric Other contin'd ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Epidemic Influenza 1 ... ... ... ... 1 ... 1 ... ... ... ... ... ... Cholera ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Plague ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Diarrhoea 8 3 4 1 ... ... ... 7 1 ... ... ... ... ... Enteritis 6 6 ... ... ... ... ... 1 1 1 ... ... ... ... Puerperal Fever ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Erysipelas 1 ... ... 1 ... ... ... 1 ... ... ... ... ... ... Other septic Diseases ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Phthisis 16 ... ... ... 9 7 ... 14 2 ... ... ... ... 9 Other tubercular Diseases 8 6 ... ... ... 2 ... 8 ... ... ... ... ... 3 Cancer, Malignant Disease 6 ... ... ... ... 2 4 5 1 ... ... ... ... 2 Bronchitis 17 4 3 1 ... 4 5 14 1 2 ... ... ... 14 Pneumonia 15 3 3 ... 1 3 5 14 ... 1 ... ... ... ... Pleurisy ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Other Diseases of Respiratory Organs ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Alcoholism Cirrhosis of Liver 2 ... ... ... ... 2 ... 2 ... ... ... ... ... 7 Venereal Diseases ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Premature Birth 10 10 ... ... ... ... ... 8 ... 2 ... ... ... ... Diseases and Accident of Parturition ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Heart Diseases 22 ... ... ... ... 7 16 21 ... 1 ... ... ... 85 Accidents 1 ... ... ... ... 1 ... 1 ... ... ... ... ... 3 Suicides ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... All other Causes 46 8 5 1 3 13 16 36 ... 5 ... ... ... 2 All Causes 170 43 19 7 14 42 45 145 13 12 ... ... ... 66