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The deaths among infants and children under five years, in each locality, are also
separately shown. A comparison with the corresponding figures of previous Reports
will show several differences between the distribution of deaths in this vear and its
predecessors—differences that were not apparent from a consideration of the larger
sub-districts. (See Table " Deaths from all Causes, —Page 31.)
The broad fact disclosed by these figures is that the deaths were last year more
evenly distributed than usual. The poorer localities with the highest mortality were
not quite so fatal as usual, the more favoured localities sharing a portion of their
excessive death-rate. Thus Dudley-street and Southern Drury-lane sub-divisions
have materially fewer deaths than in 1859. This equable distribution results mainly
from the absence of epidemic disease. Three of the poorer localities, however, show
an advance in their deaths in 1860 over 1859. These are the neighbourhoods of
Church-lane, Short's-gardens, and Northern Drury-lane, and it is remarkable that
the rise was less among those persons who died at their own homes than in those
who left their homes for the workhouse and for hospitals. In all of these three
localities there are numerous common lodging houses, and these always furnish large
numbers of sick to the infirmary. In an inclement season, such as 1860, these
persons were sure to be beyond the average.
The deaths among children enumerated in the foregoing Table, are also
fewer and more evenly spread over the ten localities than usual. This again
arises from the small amount of those epidemic diseases of children which peculiarly
affect the poorer localities. It is a remarkable fact, gained from this Table and the
next, that in the better districts, this year, there were not only relatively but absolutely
more infantile deaths and more zymotic deaths, the mortality of both kinds being
remarkably low in the poorer neighbourhoods.
The Causes of Death in each of the ten sub-divisions is shown with sufficient
minuteness on the following Table. Here the fall in the mortality of zymotic
diseases from 1859 may be studied. In the former year the districts lettered F,
G and K were in the worst position in regard of these diseases, showing respectively,
71, 60 and 65 deaths from them. In 1860 these numbers were reduced to 47, 32
and 35. The subsidence of epidemic influence over a community is always apt to be
followed by a temporary immunity from zymotic disease; but the extent to which
this has been the case in these three localities appears unusual, and is probably to
be ascribed to our sanitary work. (See Table "Causes of Death, &c."—Page )14
Consumptive diseases have, in previous years, been found to exhibit a great
excess in the Northern Drury-lane, the Short's-gardens, and the Dudley-street
districts. The disproportionate fatality of such diseases in these three localities was
especially strongly marked in I860, when the whole district suffered from these
complaints so much above the average. The high mortality of lung diseases
appears to have been distributed according to a similar rule.
The law of distribution of disease which appears to obtain in an exceptional
year, is probably well recognized, but in this Report there have been so many
illustrations of it that it may be well to state it in definite terms:—Given, a number
of localities habitually affected to different degrees by the diseases of a certain class.
Let these diseases occur with exceptional prevalence, either in the way of increase
or subsidence. Then it is those localities which habitually suffer most from such
diseases that are chiefly affected by their exceptional incidence, in whichever direction
the exception may be. A year of prevalence of a class of disease, therefore, shows
up more strongly the localities generally affected by that class, and a year of subsidence
of a class of disease tends to obliterate the distinctive peculiarities of districts
with respect to those diseases. We have seen this to have happened in 1860, in
respect of the metropolis and of St. Giles's, and in respect of the various sub-divisions
of St. Giles's. We have seen it for diseases of children, for zymotic diseases, for
diseases of the lungs and for consumption. Our experience even seems to point in