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A more valuable guide to the sanitary condition of a place than the total mortality
is the mortality from epidemic diseases.
The several districts when compared in this respect are found to stand in the
following order, beginning with the one whose deaths from epidemic disease bear
the smallest proportion to the population,—Kentish Town, Regent's Park,
Camden Town, Somers Town, Tottenham Court Road, and Gray's Inn Road.
The mortality in Regent's Park District would be much lower than it is if it
were not for a few streets situated in it, which, from their extremely bad
sanitary stale, afford very many more than their due proportion of deaths.
I refer to Henry Street, Hampstead Road, Eden Street, Henry Place,
Mary Place, Fitzroy Row, and one or two more in the same locality. Henry
Street contains 43 houses, with a population of nearly 1,200 persons. Many of
the houses were till recently in a very foul state, with offensive cesspools and
bad drainage. The backs of the houses on the North side of the street are shut
in by cottages and workshops, and behind some of the houses on the South side
are shops and large schools. Near the Hampstead Road, slaughtering of cattle
is carried on in a place quite unfit for the purpose, and till within the last week
or two all the refuse from the animals was deposited on an uncovered dust-heap,
which was also the receptacle for all the excrement of the workmen in the yard,
and of the inhabitants of two cottages. I am happy to say that this very fearful
state of fhings is in process of improvement, most of the houses being now
properly drained, the cesspools emptied and filled up, and proper water closets
substituted. There is still, however, room for considerable improvement.
During the month my attention has been directed to the burial grounds in the
parish. In Tottenham Court Eoad the grave yard adjoining Tottenham Chapel
has been a great source of annoyance, in consequence of the trustees having
taken upon themselves to level the whole ground, by removing the tombstones,
and in some places disturbing the soil. The greatest portion of the mischief
was done during one night. I am happy to say that I have not met with
any cases of serious illness resulting from this. The trustees have, at my
request, recently covered the ground with a layer of quick lime, which will, it is
hoped, prevent any future evil results. I have visited the vaults under the
Chapel, and find that there is nothing in them to occasion any apprehension to
the inhabitants.
There is one burial ground in this parish in which interments still take
place, and that in a somewhat crowded locality, namely, that of St. Andrews,
Holborn, situated near Gray's Inn Eoad. It is not merely the fact, that burials
take place here to which I wish to direct attention, but the manner in which
they are conducted. The paupers are buried in a large pit, which is kept open
for weeks or even months until there are enough coffins to reach within five feet
of the surface of the ground. A thin stratum of earth and a small quantity of
quick lime are, it is true, placed between each row of coffins, but not enough to