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year, against 290 in 1881, 411 in 1880, 344 in 1879, and 522
in 1878. The percentage of total deaths was 21.9. The
deaths included 5 from Small Pox, all of which occurred
during the first half of the year. A boy aged 14 years
was certified to be unvaccinated, and a man aged 42 to have
have been vaccinated. In the other cases—an infant aged 10
weeks, and two females aged 26 and 28 years—no statement
was made with regard to vaccination. Measles caused 109
deaths, Scarlet Fever 47, Diphtheria 9, Whooping Cough
178, Typhus 2, Enteric Fever 9, and Simple Fever 2. The
Diarrhœal class included 58 from Diarrhoea, 1 from Simple
Cholera, and 1 from Dysentery.
Diphtheria was less fatal, but 8 out of the 9 deaths
occurred in St. James's District. All the deaths from Enteric
Fever took place in the same district, which in other respects
is the most healthy one in the parish. The zymotic deathrate
was 4.79 per thousand persons living. The decennial
average being 4.31. In London this rate was per
thousand, the mean annual rate in the preceeding decade
having been 3.59.
In London the death-rate from Measles was 0.60, and
from Whooping Cough 1.20. In Bermondsey the death-rate
from Measles was 1.24, and from Whooping Cough 2.03. It
will thus be seen that our excess in the general zymotic rate
of 1.30 is fully accounted for by our excessive proportion of
deaths from these two diseases, which amounted to a rate of
1.47 per thousand of the population.
Septic Diseases. —Deaths from Diseases of this class are
much less common in Bermondsey than they might be expected
to be in a neighbourhood where skins of animals, etc.,
are daily passing through the hands of so many persons.
One death was attributed to " blood poisoning caused by
washing and cleaning foreign hides. ' Mr. John Spear, an
Inspector of the Local Government Board, is of opinion that
cases of this kind occasionally occur without the real source
and exact nature of the disease being recognised. He has
issued a communication on this subject to all the medical
practitioners in the district.
Constitutional Diseases.—In the first division of this class
there were 9 deaths from Rheumatism and rheumatic disease
of the heart, 3 from Gout, 3 from Rickets, and 24 from
Cancer.