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6
REPORT
ON THE
SANITARY CONDITION OF SAINT MARY, ISLINGTON,
DURING SEPTEMBER, 1857.
No. VI.
The mortality and sickness, both general and zymotic, have continued to
decrease during the month of September, and this, notwithstanding that both
common fever and scarlatina have been more prevalent in the parish and more
fatal than they were during the spring and earlier summer months.
One hundred and ninety-eight deaths from all causes were registered during
the five weeks ending October 3rd. Had the death-rate of August continued,
the number that I should have had to record would have been 2'20. It is even
less than in the corresponding weeks of last year, when 209 were registered,
to correspond with which, in accordance to the increase of population, the
present table should have represented a mortality of 219. In the fourth week
of the month only 10 deaths were registered in the East sub-district.
The number of persons who have been carried off by diseases of the zymotic
class is 54—the same number that stands against this class in the table for
August; but as the latter represented only four weeks, we must conclude the
zymotic mortality to be reduced. This reduction is solely due to the subsidence
of summer diarrhoea, for some other zymotic and infectious maladies
have been more active. Thus, scarlatina has killed 6 children and 1 adult;
13 deaths are attributed to fever, 1 to chicken pox, and 2 to infantile syphilis,
a disease which there is every reason to believe should be made to bear the
blame of a far larger number of infant deaths than are referred to it in our
mortality returns. In the corresponding period of last year there were 21
deaths from diarrhoea, 10 from fever, and only 2 from scarlatina.
The death of chicken pox was thus returned:—"7, St. George's Yard, female,
3 years, daughter of a cab proprietor; Varicella, 3 days; diarrhœa, 24 hours;
convulsions, 10 hours."
The death placed in the table in the horizontal column for "Rheumatic
Fever" was of a doubtful character; it was thus returned:—"Vale Royal,
male, 30 years, horse slaughterer. Bheumatism, with erythematous spots,
subsequently large pustules in various parts, as if the blood were in a poisoned
state. Duration, 16 days."
This was certified by Mr. Lloyd, and as the description might apply without
improbability either to malignant pustule or to farcy (both occasional diseases
in the human subject), I wrote to him asking for more definite information.