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59
INFLUENZA.
For the fourth successive year, Influenza was prevalent in
the Metropolis and in many other parts of the Kingdom. The
deaths attributed directly to this cause in London, were 1,526,
compared with 2,336 in 1891, 650 in 1890, and 2,264 in 1892.
The deaths, therefore, in the four years, were 6,676 ; compared
with a total of 63 in the preceding ten years, 1880-89. There
was no week in 1893 in which no death from influenza
was registered in London. The deaths in the four quarters
successively, were 356, 354, 84, and 732. In the last four weeks
of the year 546 deaths were registered from this cause. Manydeaths,
moreover, attributed to pneumonia were probably due
to influenza. The mortality from this disease which attained
its maximum in London, in 1891, did not attain its
maximum in Kensington until 1892, when 155 deaths,
including 106 in January, were registered ; the deaths
in the preceding three years successively having been 39,113,
and 115. In 1893 the deaths attributed directly to influenza
were 93 (75 in the Town sub-district and 18 in Brompton) 21,
22, 3, and 47, in the four quarters respectively. Thirtyfive
of the deaths were registered in the last four weeks
of the year, wherein the total mortality (355) was by far the
highest recorded in 1893, the next highest number of deaths
(298) having been recorded in the first four-weekly period
ended January 28th. It is somewhat remarkable that the
deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs should have
been 31 fewer in December than in January, seeing that the
parish was free from influenza in the last named month. In
January the deaths from chest-diseases were 124: in
December 93 only. In London as a whole the deaths
from chest-diseases in the first three weeks of December were
809 in excess of the corrected average: in the last week of
the year the deaths from these causes were 104 below the
average. As already stated, 546 deaths were registered
during these four weeks as primarily due to influenza.