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2
All the five divisions of London experienced in 1863 a rise in their mortality
over that of the preceding year. But the high mortality of the Central
and Eastern Districts, that was commented upon in the last of these reports,
has been maintained in the midst of this general rise, and both these groups
of districts now have the remarkably high death-rate of 26.64 in the thousand.
No such high mortality has been observed in the Central districts (unless in
seasons of cholera) for the past twenty years.
Following the ordinary law of distribution, the seasons of the greatest
mortality were the first and last quarters of the year 1863. The zymotic
group of diseases indeed rather tended to impress a higher death-rate upon
the summer months. Small-pox culminated in the second quarter of the
year. Scarlatina was increasingly fatal throughout the four quarters. But
the intenser prevalence of lung diseases in cold weather more than counterbalanced
the tendency of the zymotic diseases. From all causes 37824
persons died in the first and last quarters, and in the two warmer quarters
of the year only 34522.
Detailed tables, whose chief points of interest are embodied in the foregoing
statements, are placed as Nos. I and IV in the appendix to this report.
SECTION II.—On the Mortality of St. Giles's in 1863. From all Causes.
Comparison with other Districts.
In the high mortality of London in 1863, St. Giles's District of course
participated. Among the central districts, its death-rate was conspicuously
high. A high rate of death is however an invariable character of St. Giles's,
and is not peculiar to the year that has just expired. It is of interest to
know that while London and the group of Central districts both experienced
a larger mortality in 1863 than in 1862, the St. Giles's death rate did not
increase between the two years. The unhealthiness of 1863 arose therefore
from the assimilation of other districts to the condition of St. Giles's, and not
from any further deterioration of our own district.
The total number of deaths registered in the three sub-districts of St.
Giles's in 53 weeks, was 1503. Ten of these however were dup icate entries,
and have been deducted in the calculations of this report. Besides those
persons who died at their own homes or in the workhouse, 79* persons belonging
to St. Giles' and Bloomsbury died in Hospitals of adjacent districts.
The corrected mortality of our parishioners was therefore 1572 in the 53
weeks, Reducing this period to a mean year the number represents a deathrate
of' 28 64 in the thousand residents of St. Giles's District.
Of the whole number of deaths, 801 were of males, 771 of females; the
excess of males being what is usually observed in St. Giles'. Of the Hospital
deaths, 52 or about two thirds were in males. This arises of course from
their greater exposure to accidents and to many of those diseases which
especially call for Hospital treatment.
The average age at death was 28 years and three months. The expectation
of life at the time of birth is shortened greatly by the accidents of infancy,
and this is probably the case in St. Giles' more than in most other districts.
There were 516 deaths among children under two years of age, and 155 other
deaths in children between the ages of two and live. Excluding the deaths
of children under two years the average age at death in 1863 was 41 years
and 8 months.
* Besides the 79 deaths, three persons died in the Westminster Hospital, of whom
no particulars were ascertained except that they came from St. Giles. (See Appendix II.)