[Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Southwold Borough.

  • Southwold (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Southwold Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    increase in the birth-rate ; as a rule the two are concurrent, but not alwavs so. In 1892 and 1894 when our death-rate was much above «J the average (for 10 years) the birth-rate was slightly below it ; in 1891 and 1895 when the death-rate was low the birth-rate was high, and in 1898 both were low. In comparing the two wTe find that the natural increase of population due to excess of births over deaths within the last ten years is only 205. Our birth-rate like that of England generally, has been on the decline. The rate for ten years, 1880 to 1890, was nearly 27 per thousand, which in itself is low, but that for the ten years ending 1900 is only 21-5 per thousand. Our increase of population is therefore due chiefly to immigration. It will be interesting to note what is the exact population as shewn by the approaching census; roughly, I think, it may be put down at over 3000, there were 790; inhabited houses in 1900, and a computation of four persons to each would give us well over 3000. For the statistics of this Report I have satisfied myself with an estimated population of 2900. This makes our death-rate a little higher than would appear with a larger population. The configuration and dimensions of our little island home, for practically we are surrounded by water, are such that no very great spreading out can occur. The extent of waste land lying to the north of the Town which has been purchased by the Coast Development Company, Limited, is in process of development, but it is not large in itself, and when all is built over it will not represent more than one-third of our present town. After that we cannot spread any further, all available land will have been taken up. The population can, therefore, only increase up to a certain figure, and then must become more or less stationary. The invasion of the sea, with which we were at one time threatened, has been checked by the strong measures adopted in strengthening and fortifying our shores against its inroads, but some protection is still needed to the North. In dealing with infectious diseases we have again to exhibit a tale of w7oe. For so many years we were exempt that we began to look upon our Town as immune from all such disorders, but the last two or three years have proved to us we must now expect an annual visitation—a natural sequel to our increase of numbers. But still we have no record as yet of any real epidemic. The number of cases in 1899 of Scarlet Fever was, after all, but small, and during the past year we have only had eleven, and 6 of those occurred in one family. The need of an Isolation Hospital, however, has been illustrated sufficiently during the year, and it is satisfactory to record that not only has our own Council formed a special Committee to consider the matter, but also that the Blything Rural District Council has it under special consideration, with a view to establishing one for the whole Union. Drainage is a question ever to the fore in any rising Town, and