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1ll
Islington, .74; Holborn, .38; and St. Lukes, .62. In spite of
sanitary improvements, diphtheria, almost as a solitary exception
amongst diseases, continues to claim a gradually increasing
number of victims in London. In our district, as in London
generally, the deaths in 1896 from this disease have been much
above the average of the past ten years.
The following table, giving the death rates from diphtheria
per 1,000 living, after distribution of deaths in Public Institutions,
shows the decided rise:—
Clerkenwell—
1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896
0•25 0•39 0•36 0•28 0•42 0•42 1•15 0•51 0•51 0•62
The deaths of infants under one year of age, occurring in
the Parish, were 357, against 360 in the previous year.
114 inquests were held in the year, 18 less than in the
preceding year.
The few cow-houses and slaughter-houses in the district
were duly inspected and found in satisfactory condition.
Bakehouses.—The bakehouses were made the subject of
a special report, presented to the Vestry in October, of which the
following is a copy:—
I have recently inspected the bakehouses in the district
and beg to report as follows:—I find there are 59 of them
in actual use, the majority being underground. Although by
the Act of last year all underground bakehouses in use on the
1st of January, 1896, may legally continue to be used, many of
them in our particular district are but imperfectly adapted for
their purpose. They are low, and ventilation can never be
rendered very efficient. The most common defect I found to be
a dirty condition of walls, ceilings, and passages, and 20 notices
have been served for the purpose of remedying this evil. The
Act states that limewhiting shall be done at least once every
six months. Considering the height of the ceilings in most
cases, the amount of gas burnt, and the fumes emitted from the