View report page

18
Medical Officers of Health Annual Report.
Cancer and other
Tumours.
Under this head there is an increase, the
number being quite the largest of recent years. There
has been a tendency for an increase under this heading
since 1890. In registration-London the deaths from
this cause exceeded the decennial average by 483 so that,
the increase applies to the whole Metropolis
Tubercular
Diseases.
Under this heading, which includes consumption,
there is a slight fall from 1895, but the number
of deaths, 245, is very little below the average. This
group of diseases we hope to influence by improved sanitation,
but on the other hand it is largely affected by the
density of population. As year by year the district
becomes more built over there will be a tendency for
tubercular diseases to increase, hence the effect of sanitary
administration may not be so directly apparent.
Nervous
Diseases.
Under this head there were fewer deaths
than in any recent year—232 only.
Circulatory
Diseases.
The number of deaths from this cause 271,
on the other hand, showed an increase, not a very considerable
one, however.
Respiratory
Diseases.
There were fewer deaths from diseases of
the lungs. Excepting in 1894, when the number was
just below, they were fewer than in any year since 1889.
Premature
Births, etc., etc.
There were 189 deaths, a marked fall on
1895.
Old Age.
The deaths attributed to this were 125,
and the number does not vary much from recent years.
Violence.
There were 69 deaths attributed to
violence. The number from this cause has remained remarkably
stationary during the last few years
Inquests.
The next table gives particulars of the
Inquests held during the year. They were 152 in number.
The verdicts were—from natural causes 81, accident 48,
suicide 14, homicide 5, open verdicts 4.