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51
There is a ready market for unskilled labour in the Borough. The
general or casual labourer is much in demand. The central
Metropolitan Boroughs offer opportunities for becoming submerged.
Men arrive, change their names, lose their identity and
make fresh starts in life.
Instances of both of these are from time to time brought to the
knowledge of the Public Health staff—instances of persons at
one time well off, but n jw out of work, almost penniless, exhausted
in mind and body, released from prison or exposed to hardships,
who have come into Finsbury for one or other of the reasons given.
They are ill when they come. Some few stand up bravely to fate
and re-establish themselves. Others succumb and their deaths
are counted as Finsbury deaths.
Inquests.—During the past year 201 inquests were held in the
Borough, of which four were on the bodies of non-residents who
died suddenly to the district. Sixty-two were on children under 5
years of age, 139 on adults and children over 5 years of age.
Amongst the causes of death were the following:— Accidental falls,
26, Burns and Scalds, 12 ; run over by taxicabs and motor buses,
7; run over by cabs and horsed vans, 8; overlain in bed by
parents, 11 deaths.
Deaths from Destitution and Exposure.—There were 3
deaths in the district which were accelerated by want of food and
destitution. One was a baby, one was a male adult, one was a
widow.
The baby died at home of Pneumonia in a state of semistarvation.
The male died in the workhouse of phthisis.
The widow died at home of heart disease.
INFANT MORTALITY.
The infant mortality of any district for any stated year means
the number of deaths of children under one year per 1,000 births.