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62
1898]
"On examining the returns of the several Wards it is seen that the
greatest incidence of the disease occurred in Lower Holloway, with the
exception of Tollington Ward in which the Measles was practically
confined to its southern, and most crowded part, and the least in
East Highbury. This is just what might have been expected, fur
whereas the first is a very crowded district with 102 persons living on
each acre, the latter has only 83 persons. On consulting Table II. it
will be noticed that Lower Holloway is not the most densely populated
Ward, but this is accounted for by the fact that no allowance has been
made for the large spaces occupied by Cattle Market, the Great Northern
and the North London Railways, which of course cause very great
concentration of population on the remainder of the district. It is noteworthy,
too, that Upper Holloway Ward, considering that the disease was
very fatal in the adjoining Tollington Ward (especially in its more
southerly parts), escaped with a comparatively light mortality.
St. Mary's and St. Peter's Wards were also relatively free from the
disease as judged by the number of deaths, which is the more remarkble
in that they are both densely inhabited ; indeed, St. Peter's, which is
the most densely populated Ward in Islington, houses 204 persons on
each of its acres, or nearly twice the average density of the whole
Parish, which is 111. The density of St. Mary's is 120 persons per
acre. Generally speaking, I do not find in this epidemic that the
mortality in the Wards has been always in proportion to the density
of the population, but it suggests a connection as may be seen in the
following figures:—
Wards.
Persons
to an
Acre.
Deaths
per 100.000
Inhabitants.
Tufnell 79 123
East Highbury 83 46
West Highbury 83 99
Tollington 97 291
Lower Holloway 102 240
Canonbury 110 134
Wards.
Persons
toan
Acre.
Deaths
per 100,000
Inhabitants,
St Mary's 120 87
Upper Holloway 129 92
Barnsbury 165 143
Thornhill 195 171
St. Peters 204 76
"When the last epidemic of Measles took place in 1895-6 the deaths
were not taken out for the Wards, and I am therefore unable to make
any comparisons between the mortality of that date and the present