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The low death-rate of the past year is no doubt in part due to
the comparative little prevalence of influenza, which directly and
indirectly caused such heavy mortalities in the years 1890, 1891, and
1892; and in part to the coldness of the summer season in 1894.
There is, however, ground for believing that the continually
improving sanitary condition of the parish is accountable to some
extent for the low death-rate of 1894, and that Chelsea is now
reaping the benefit of those sanitary improvements which have been
inaugurated in recent years.
The corrected death-rate of Kensal Town for 1894 was only
12.5 per 1,000, as against 14.8 per 1,000 in 1893. The corrected
death-rate of the Home District (Chelsea North and South) was
17.6 per 1,000, as against 21.6 per 1,000 in 1893.
Zymotic death-rate.—The death-rate in Chelsea from the seven
principal zymotic diseases was 2.5 per 1,000 in 1894, as against
2.66 per 1,000 in London generally. In 1891, the zymotic deathrate
in Chelsea was 2.0 per 1,000; in 1892 it was 3.1 per 1,000;
and in 1893 it was 3.0 per 1,000. The decrease in 1894 was chiefly
due to diminished mortalities from scarlet fever, whooping-cough,
and diarrhoea. Measles, however, was again prevalent last year,
causing no fewer than 69 deaths.