View report page

21
Stpan 15
REPORT
ON THE
SANITARY CONDITION OF SAINT PANCRAS, MIDDLESEX,
DURING- DECEMBER, 1857,
BY
THOMAS HILLIER, M.D.,
Medical Officer of Health for the Parish of Saint Pancras.
January 5th, 1858.]
[No. 21.
TO THE SANITARY COMMITTEE.
Gentlemen,
During the four weeks which ended on December 26th, 1857, 375 deaths
were registered in this Parish, showing an average weekly mortality of 94.
This number is much higher than that given in the Report for November,
namely, a weekly average of 83¼. The mean number obtained from the
registers of the corresponding months in the ten years, 1847-1856, is 346.6;
which should for comparison be raised 10 per cent., to allow for increase of
population, when it becomes 381. The present return, though giving a very high
mortality, is not more unfavourable than the corrected average of ten years. It
must, however, be stated, that the average is very much raised by the great
fatality of influenza in 1847. The number of deaths registered in the corresponding
month last year was 324, so that the mortality of the late month was
certainly high; and this circumstance cannot be explained by any unusual
severity of the weather, which has been, on the contrary, very mild for the
season, as will be shown under the head of Meteorology.
The high rate of mortality is not due to the unusual prevalence of measles,
small pox, scarlet fever, hooping cough, diarrhoea, or typhus, which it will be
seen from Schedule B have not been especially fatal. The diseases most fatal
have been those involving the lungs and breathing organs, which have occasioned
96 deaths, besides 55 from consumption, 6 from influenza, and 2 from croup,
giving altogether 159. The number of new cases of sickness amongst paupers
during the month of December has been much less than in November, only
694 instead of 1,101. Pulmonary complaints have diminished in number from
210 to 101. From a comparison of the above-stated facts, it would appear that
the diseases which have proved fatal during December are many of them those
which began in November. Under the age of 5 years, there have been 134
deaths, and above the age of 60, 100 deaths.
WORKHOUSE.
The number of deaths in this building has amounted to 24; in the corresponding
period last year there were 34. The general health of the inmates has
been better than during November. Measles has recently appeared amongst the
infants; the disease has commenced this year within a day or two of its appearr
ance last year. As yet it has assumed a less virulent type than it did in the
previous epidemic. Several fatal cases have, however, occurred during the last
week, but are not included in the present tables. The average number of
inmates, including those in the separation wards, has been 1,630; in December
of last year it was 1,432, exclusive of casuals, who averaged about 100.
Meteorology.—The mean temperature of the month has been 46°, which is