View report page

6
Two hundred and twenty-seven births occurred in the Workhouse, which
19 were still-births.
I have again tabulated the mortality in Mews. The dfeaths numbered
in 1860 were 73; of which, 27 occurred in Tottenham District, out of a
population of 861; 15 in Gray's Inn District, out of a population of 520
persons; 13 in Regent's Park, out of 808 persons ; 18 in Somers Town from a
population of 460 persons; no deaths occurred in lie Mews of Kentish Town,
out of a population of 313; in Camden Town sub-district there are no Mews.
This year I have obtained the exact population of the Mews from the census
papers, and find that it is 2962, which is considerably higher than the estimate
given in my Report for 1859. It must be remembered that many of the
dwellings in Mews are not over stables, and some of the Mews are not used
at all for keeping horses. It is also to be borne in mind, that in the Mews
attached to gentlemen's houses, the families who live there not unfrequently go
out of town for some weeks, and in case of dangerous illness of any members
of the families they are often removed to the country or to a hospital. The
actual mortality, then, will probably not accurately represent the insalubrity
of rooms over stables as residences. In the Tottenham sub-district the rate of
mortality was more than 3 per cent., or 31 per thousand; in Gray's Inn 29
per thousand; in Regent's Park, where there are many gentlemen's stables,
only 16 per thousand; and in Somers Town 29 per thousand. In Southampton
Mews, with a population of only 94, there have been 8, deaths, a mortality of
8i per cent., which is four times higher than the whole parish. These Mews
are badly pared and with very imperfect sewerage.
Of the total number of deaths in Mews, 12 were from Zymotic diseases;
Measles, 5; Scarlet Fever, 1 ; Diarrhoea, 1; Small Pox, 1; Diphtheria, 1;
Typhoid Fever, 1; Erysipelas, 1; and Croup, 1. From Bronchitis and Pneumonia
20 deaths occurred. From the Nervous diseases of infants, 7. From Consumption,
8. From Rheumatic Fever, 3. Under the age of five years there
were 48 deaths.
METEOROLOGY.
The mean temperature of the year was 47'0, which is 3-8 below the mean in
1859, and 1*4 below the average of 89 previous years.
The winter quarter averaged 38°'8, being only 0°'4 above the average of the
corresponding quarters of previous years; the spring quarter had a mean
temperature of 50°'5, being 1°'6 below the spring quarters in 89 preceding years;
the summer quarter had a mean of only 56°-2, being 3°-3 lower than the mean;
and the autumn quarter averaged 42°-6, being lo-0 below the mean of 89 years.
The peculiarity consisted in the coldness of the second, third, and fourth
quarters and especially of the third. The mean daily range of temperature was
140,9, being lO-0 less than usual. The mean height of the barometer was 29-699
inches, being lower than usual by -079 of an inch. The number of nights on
which the thermometer fell below 30° was 112, and between 30° and 40°, 130.
The rain-fall amounted to 32 inches, being 6-7 above the average in 19 years.
The low temperature and the quantity of rain, no doubt, conduced to the low
mortality from Diarrhoea and Cholera, and to the somewhat higher mortality
from bronchial and pulmonary diseases.
By comparing the tables of the quarterly mortality for 1860 with those in
my Report for 1859, it will be seen that in the first quarter there was but little
difference in the two years, 1286 in 1859 and 1272 in 1860; in the second
quarter also but a slight difference, 1042 in 1859 and 1029 in 1860; whilst in
the third, instead of 1102 in 1859, there were only 901 deaths in 1860 ; and in
the fourth quarter there was an increase from 999 in 1859 to 1018 in 1860.