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onset of illness. Others were unable to give any definite
statement so far as regards the question of shellfish, beyond the
fact that they occasionally partook of them, while a third
category attributed the illness to water-cress, ice creams, bad
smells, etc.
The solitary notification of typhus was not really
that disease, but eventually turned out to be smallpox.
No cases were reported to me of relapsing fever,
continued fever, cholera or plague.
The greater proportion of the infectious diseases were
removed to hospital.
The deaths from consumption for the year 1902 were
twenty more than in 1901, while there was an increase of
three in the mortality from tuberculous diseases. So far as
the former is concerned Peckham has slightly the largest
number of fatal cases, but not to the extent that existed last
year.
Fifty-three rooms, etc., where consumptives had been
living were disinfected, although a circular letter offering this
measure was sent in each instance that a death occurred in a
private house.
Among the diseases which are not usually classed as
infectious the first in importance is cancer, under which heading
are included all forms of malignant new growths. There
were 245 deaths from this disease in 1902, 44 more than in the
previous year.
It may be perhaps supposed from the comparatively
high number of deaths in Dulwich, that there is some local
condition which is favourable to the contraction of this disease;
but last year there were only 7 deaths in this district, moreover,
there is a larger proportion of people of advanced middle age
in Dulwich than, say, St. George's, and at this age cancer is
more prevalent than in early life. Next year I hope to be able
to give some results of an inquiry I am making into the
antecedents of all the deaths from this disease for the past five
years.
There were only four deaths caused by the various
forms of septic troubles arising in connection with child-birth,
compared with 13 in 1901.
A very marked fall took place in the mortality from
diarrhoea due to the climatic conditions, which were for the