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from the East Sub-district being received into the Workhouse, which is in the West
Sub-district, and dying there. Of course, it is impossible to say whether or no the
population is distributed, as to age, in the Sub-districts in the same manner as it was
in 1851, but we must assume that it is in any estimate of the mortality that we can
form.
Column 23, in Table IV. shows the proportion of the deaths from zymotic disease in
Islington and its Sub-districts to each 1,000 of persons estimated as living in each in
1857. It will be observed how trifling is the difference thus appreciable.
7. The greatest number of deaths, from this class of diseases, which occurred in one
week was 36, and this was in that ending July 25th, when 65 deaths from all causes
took place. Last year the highest weekly number was 21, and this mortality happened
a month later. The cause of this, in the early and excessive heat of the summer, was
pointed out in my Monthly Reports. The mortality from zymotic diseases was at its
minimum in the fifth week of the year, when only 2 deaths occurred out of a total of
50 from all causes.
8. The number of deaths from each of the more important zymotic diseases, and
the proportion that they bear to the deaths from all causes, appear in Table IV.
Measles and Hooping Cough appear to have differed but little in fatality from last
year's rate; the little difference observable is by way of excess. In the case of the
former the percentage was greatest in the West Sub-district, in the latter disease, in
the East. January, April, May, and December, were the months on which the greater
number of deaths from Measles occurred; Hooping Cough being most fatal in April,
May, November, and December.
There has been decidedly less Scarlatina than last year, when the per centage of all
deaths was 3.312. It has this year fallen to 2 116; still, however, retaining, as it
would appear, its preference for the East Sub-district.
Fever has been fatal to a larger number of persons than in 1856. The population
has increased 1/13th, the deaths from Fever 1/7th. Out of 84 deaths, 54 occurred
in the West Sub-district. I have already* had occasion to point out the cause
of the spread of this disease in the West Sub-district. The greatest monthly mortality
from Fever occurred in August and September, in each of which months Fever carried
off 11 persons. In June and October it only destroyed 3 persons; in each of the
other months of the year from 6 to 8.
There has also been a higher mortality from diarrhœa, in connection with the excessive
heat of the summer. Of the 139 deaths from this disease, the larger number,
viz. 73, occurred in the East Sub-district—while 66 occurred in the West. Now,
comparing this with last year's Table, one cannot help observing that the excess of
fatal diarrhœa over that of last year is attributable to the deaths that look place in
the West Sub-district alone. I may be wrong in my explanation, for one cannot
draw conclusions with too much modesty and diffidence, but it is difficult to dissociate
this exemption from increased fatality in the East Sub-district, (an increase which
was observed to the extent of more than 1 per cent. in London generally) from the
fact that some of the worst-conditioned streets and courts in this part of the parish,
underwent improvement in 1856 and the early part of 1857. As to the increase in
the West Sub-district., I shall endeavour to point out presently in what portion of the
district the fatality was most remarkable. The deaths from diarrhoea rose from 4 in
the first week of July to 9 in the second week, and 10 in the third week ; on the
fourth week of July, that ending July 25th, (when the highest weekly mortality for
the summer, both general and zymotic occurred), 17 deaths from diarrhoea took
place. The decline of the disease was much more gradual. Even in October 10 deaths
from diarrhoea occurred against 4 in that month last year.
9. AVith a view more accurately to localise the mortality from various causes, I
have repeated, in a somewhat expended form, the Table 3 in my Report for 1856.
This distribution of the deaths, with that into the several streets, involves, of course,
* Monthly Reports, Nos. 5 and 6.