View report page

9
The chief causes of death during the year 1900 were the various forms of
tuberculosis, including consumption, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and enteritis,
disease of the heart, prematurity and debility at birth, violence, apoplexy and
hemiplegia, Bright's disease, marasmus, measles, convulsions, old age, cancer,
diphtheria, influenza, and whooping cough.
Cancer was the cause of 67 deaths, including 18 of males and 49 of females—63
were of persons aged between 35 and 85 years. Of the three cases in which the
patients were under 35 years, one was of an infant under one year old. The deathrate
due to cancer was 0.56 per 1,000 inhabitants: somewhat less than that of last
year. In addition to the deaths stated to have been due to cancer there were six
deaths due to malignant disease, some of which may have been attributable to cancer;
these have not been included in calculating the death-rate from cancer.
Eighteen deaths were directly attributed to alcoholism. The abuse of alcohol is
a factor in the causation of some diseases, besides being productive of conditions of
health unfavourable for persons addicted to alcohol when attacked by other diseases,
and is, without doubt, responsible directly or indirectly for a much larger number of
deaths than would appear on the face of it from the number actually attributed to
alcohol.
DEATHS IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.

Elsewhere than in public institutions 8 persons not belonging to Shoreditch died
within the Borough.