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6
Whooping Cough.—Of the 71 deaths from whooping cough, 60
were of home district residents, and 11 of Kensal Town residents. In
the home district the disease assumed an epidemic form in the first
quarter of the year, the number of deaths registered in this quarter
(43) being higher than in any previous quarter during the past ten
years.
Enteric Fever. —The mortality from enteric fever (18 deaths) was
slightly higher than the average of the past 15 years. Of the 18 deaths,
6 belonged to Kensal Town.
Diarrhoea.—The deaths in Chelsea in 1899 from diarrhæal diseases
(diarrhæa, dysentery, cholera, gastro-enteritis, and enteritis) were 140
in number, exactly equal to the mortality of 1898. This is the third
year in succession of unusually severe diarrhæa mortality, the great
heat and drought of the summer being again favourable to the
onslaughts of this disease. All but 11 of the 140 deaths were of
children under 5 years of age, the great majority of these being infants
under one year. Of these 140 deaths, 43 were of Kensal Town
residents, and as usual in this disease, Kensal Town suffered more
severely than the home district.

The excessive prevalence of diarrhæa commenced in the last week
of July, attained its maximum in the second week of August, and then
rather rapidly declined. In the ten weeks ending the 16th September,
116 out of the total of 140 deaths for the year were registered. In
London generally there was a similar excessive incidence of diarrhæal
diseases, the death-rate for the year being in excess of those recorded in
1897 and in 1898, and being, in fact, the highest recorded rate since
the year 1868.
Influenza. —The number of deaths referred to influenza, as a
primary or secondary cause of death, amounted to 53, as against
35 in 1898, 19 in 1897, 13 in 1896, and 68 in 1895, the last year