View report page

104
1908]
VENEREAL DISEASES.
These included Syphilis and Gonorrhoea, which collectively caused
20 deaths, as against 16 in the preceding year. The increase occurred among
children under 12 months old, 13 of whom perished, as compared with 5 in
1907 and 9 in 1906.
The thought that these deaths of little children were entirely due to the
depraved habits of their parents naturally causes food for reflection, particularly
when it is recollected that what goes on in Islington also occurs throughout
the United Kingdom, for the Registrar General's returns show that in 1907
645 male children and 492 female children under 12 months old died in
England and Wales from these terrible diseases, and that 682 male children,
inclusive of those already stated, died under 5 years of age, together with 522
females.
In London, 133 male children under 5 years old, of whom 125 were under
1 year, and 118 females under 5 years, of whom 114 were under 1 year, were
brought to a premature grave from the same cause.

DIABETES MELLITUS.
This disease, as its name signifies, is marked by an excessive amount of
urine, containing an excess of sugar habitually discharged from the system. It
is attended by thirst, increased appetite, and, as it progresses, emaciation and
loss of strength. It sometimes occurs in a temporary form with certain nervous
diseases, and sometimes with congestion of the liver. It is usually chronic and
fatal, although when it attacks elderly people its course may continue for some
years.