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45
Diphtheria Mortality in London, Kensington,
and adjacent Districts.—Certain observations in relation
to diphtheria in the second monthly report (February 28,
page 17 and p. 24: vide page 28 of the present report), created
an erroneous impression that the increase in mortality therein
referred to was peculiar to Kensington, the fact being that
diphtheria had been largely on the increase in London generally
for some years. The report in question was referred to
the Sanitary Committee, to whom I explained that the increase
in mortality had been greater in many other parishes
than in Kensington, whose death-rate from this cause compares
not unfavourably with that of London, as a whole, and
of adjacent parishes, as is shown in the subjoined statement,
based upon a table in the Registrar-General's Annual Summary
for 1898, which exhibits the number of deaths per
100,000 persons living during the ten years, 1889-98 (after
distribution of deaths in public institutions), in London, and in
Kensington, Paddington, Hammersmith, Fulham, and Chelsea.
The year 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898
Decennial
Average.
London 38 33 32 44 75 61 52 59 50 39 48
Kensington 67 20 17 20 49 46 53 40 47 15 37
Paddington 36 34 20 23 58 76 38 51 51 48 43
Hammersmith 49 51 75 74 53 49 43 49 28 21 49
Fulham 15 25 21 32 63 99 70 66 53 49 49
Chelsea 25 58 17 41 54 54 59 117 56 43 52
The Kensington diphtheria death-rate, it will be observed,
is the lowest in the group.
The death-rate from diphtheria per 1,000 persons living,
during the ten years 1889-98 (after distribution of deaths in
public institutions) in London and Kensington, was as
follows :—
1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898
London 0.38 0.33 0.32 0.44 0.75 0.61 0.52 059 0.50 0.39
Kensington 0.67 0.20 0.17 0.20 0.49 0.46 0.53 0*40 0.47 0.15
The decennial average rate in London was 0.48; in
Kensington, 0.37.