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6
Amongst the accidental deaths, those by burning and
scalding show how essential it is, that every nursemaid in the
kingdom should be taught the danger of losing sight of
children for an instant, if fire or boiling water are at hand.
One child, in Thomas Street, was killed by drinking hot tea
out of a teapot: a child, in Belgravia, was killed by pulling
a jug of hot water over himself: a child, two years old,
fell backwards into a bason of scalding water: another child
was burned in its cradle; another died, because, as the verdict
states, " the clothes ignited, but there is no evidence how."
Two persons were drowned in the Thames, and one in the
Serpentine, by accident ; and one by suicide. One infant
was found in the Serpentine, another in the Grosvenor
canal; results of the " social evil." But these cases concern
the other districts which surround Hyde Park, as much as
they do St. George, Hanover Square.
II. From the mortality we pass to the sickness, and find
that 951 persons in the Hanover and May Fair sub-districts
were patients of the Parochial Medical Officers, or of the
Branch Dispensary in Mount Street. Amongst these were
133 cases of diarrhoea; 3 of small-pox, at 6, Shepherd's
Court, at 12, Robert Street, and in Steel's Court; 35 of
continued fever; and only 1 of scarlet fever. The deaths
from this malady occurred amongst persons who do not
habitually resort to gratuitous medical advice.
As some illustration of an idea, published by one of us
that lesser epidemics, usually accompany greater ones of an
analogous kind, just as diarrhoea attends cholera, it may
be mentioned, that an unusual number of cases of sore
throats were treated during this quarter; arising probably
from some modification of the scarlatina poison.
It may be of interest to mention the parts of the parish,