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The Diarrhoea mortality was rather below that of 1895, when 123
deaths were registered from this disease, or from gastro.enteritis, but
was much in excess of the average. The early summer of 1896 (June
and July) was characterised by great heat and drought, but the
weather in August was cooler, and September was very cold and wet.
The fatal cases of diarrhoea occurred very largely in July and August.
Of the 105 deaths from this disease, 27 belonged to Kensal Town; and
102 were deaths of children under 5 years of age.
Influenza.—The number of deaths referred to influenza, as a
primary or secondary cause of death, amounted to only 13 in 1896, as
against 68 in 1895, 28 in 1894, 33 in 1893, 84 in 1892, 90 in 1891,
and 18 in 1890. In London, generally, there was no epidemic in 1896,
but deaths have been recorded in every week of the year, amounting to
a total of 496, as compared with 2,156 in 1895.
Respiratory Diseases.—The death.rate from diseases of the respiratory
organs in Chelsea was 3.56 per 1,000, or nearly 1 per 1,000 lower
than in 1895, when not only was influenza prevalent, but the climatic
conditions in the late winter and early spring were very unfavourable.
The weather of 1896 on the whole was mild, and was more
remarkable for the eccentricities in its rainfall, than for extremes of
temperature.