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8
REPORT
on the
SANITARY CONDITION OF SAINT MARY, ISLINGTON,
DURING NOVEMBER, 1857.
No. VIII.
The November which has just terminated has been characterized by unusual
mildness and humidity. The mean temperature at Greenwich has been about
46.1° and (taking saturation of the atmosphere with moisture as equal to 100)
the mean degree of humidity has been about 93. The average temperature of
November during 15 years (from 1841 to 1855) is stated to be 43.8°, and the
degree of humidity 88. Last year the mean temperature of November was
40.7° and the degree of humidity 88.
As respects the public health, the month has been mainly remarkable for the
epidemic prevalence of catarrh, involving commonly the lungs and air passages,
and accompanied, in many cases, by much prostration of strength. The latter
condition characterizes the malady as " influenza" and is that which chiefly
distinguishes it from ordinary catarrh. To this must be attributed the large number
of new cases (863) which have applied for treatment to the Parochial
Medical Officers during the 4 weeks, exceeding by 194 the new entries in
November last year. Of this number 363, or 42 per cent., consisted of cases
of catarrh, bronchitis and other acute pulmonary affections: 37 of them were
entered in the books as " influenza," against 10 thus entered last year. The
latter were probably cases more prostrated than the rest, but there can be no
question, from the experience of returns made in former epidemics of this kind,
that the cases entered as catarrh, bronchitis, &c., are in great part instances of
the same malady, where perhaps the nervous and muscular depression were less
marked at the outset. Measles and hooping-cough have increased since October,
the former from 14 to 20 cases, the latter from 8 to 20. Last year in November
35 cases of measles were entered, but none of hooping-cough. Twenty-one
cases of continued fever have been admitted from various parts of Islington
into the London Fever Hospital since the middle of September. All of these