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117
Parish of Wandsworth.
The total death-rate from diseases of the tubercular
class was 2.09, as compared with 1.88 in 1894 and 2.43
in England and Wales during the decennium 1881-90.
From other tubercular diseases which include tabes
mesenterica and tubercular meningitis 52 deaths
occurred, a large increase as compared with last year.
This is one cause of the slightly increased death-rate, and
it is to be noted that no fewer than 37 of the deaths
occurred under one year and 11 from 1 to 5 years. The
factor at work in the production of this class of diseases is
the same, namely, the bacillus tuberculosis, and young
children are the most susceptible. There is one method by
which this germ enters the body that seems to cause these
diseases to be so prevalent, and that ia the drinking of
milk in which these germs exist. It has been shown
conclusively that such milk is sold in large quantities,
and if parents wonld carry out the instructions given them
by their medical attendants, viz., to boil all milk, it is
certain that the number of deaths from these diseases
would largely diminish.
Other constitutional diseases, as gout, rheumatism
and cancer, were the cause of 34 deaths; 17 fewer than
last year. Cancer alone caused 26 deaths, 11 of males
and 15 of females. The greater number of deaths from
cancer occurred at ages from 45 to 65.
Respiratory diseases caused 140 deaths, and show an
increase from the year 1894 of 12 deaths. This was
owing to the prevalence of influenza in March, when a
large number of the deaths from diseases of this class
occurred. Although influenza was prevalent, yet the
number of deaths in 1895 was 52 less than the corrected
decennial average.
14 of these deaths occurred in internal institutions,