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(diphtheria); London Fever Hospital 3 (scarlet fever 2, and
diphtheria 1); Northern Hospital 3 (scarlet fever 2, and
diphtheria 1); South-Western Hospital 3 (diphtheria 2,
and enteric fever 1); King's College Hospital 3 (enteric
fever)-, Children's Hospital, Great Ormonde Street, 2
(diphtheria); The " Fountain" Fever Hospital 1 (scarlet
fever)-, University College Hospital 1 (diphtheria); Victoria
Hospital for Children 1 (diarrhoea) ; Fulham Infirmary 1
(measles); and on board the "Red Cross" Ambulance
Steamer 1 (small-pox).
UNCERTIFED DEATHS.
Four deaths, of 1 male and 3 females (against 5, 8, and 14,
in the preceding three years respectively) were returned as
not having been certified, either by a registered medical
practitioner or by a Coroner. The ages at death were
5 minutes, 2 months, 9 years, and 32 years : the causes of
death were premature birth and heart disease in the first and
last mentioned cases, " natural causes " being returned in the
other two cases. The several deaths were duly reported to
the Coroner who did not deem it necessary to hold inquests.
The attention of the Metropolitan Sanitary Authorities
was called, in 1887, to the subject of uncertified deaths by
the Vestry of St. James's, Westminster, that body being of
opinion that " no death should be registered unless the cause
thereof is certified either by a qualified medical practitioner,
or by the Medical Officer of Health for the District, or by
the Coroner upon inquisition." " If it were meant," as I
observed in my report for that year, " that the Medical Officer
should, as a part of his duty in that capacity, inquire into
and, if practicable, certify the cause of death, I for one should
respectfully prefer not to come under any such obligation." The
Vestry stated that " at present (i.e. 1887) 3 to 4 per cent. of the
total deaths are not certified at all." Upon this I may observe
that the proportion of deaths not certified, either by registered