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9. Diarrhœa occasioned only 120 deaths, 108 under 5 years of age: this is only8
above the un-corrected average of the last three years. The greatest weekly number
of deaths, viz.—20 and 18 took place in the third and fourth weeks of July.
10. Hooping Cough destroyed 102 children, the East district (as was the case in
each of the two preceding years,) suffering more than the West. The uncorrected
mean of the three previous years was 114.
11. Fever. The deaths attributed to Continued and Infantile Fever together
amounted to 78. In the three preceding years the mortality was 86, 95 and 70.
12. Measles was less fatal than in any of the three years during which I have recorded
its progress. It only occasioned 63 deaths, 36 in the East and 27 in the West Subdistrict.
Eight of the deaths in the East Sub-district occurred in Bowman's Place
North. The total mortality in this place, from all causes, was 18 out of a population
which may be estimated at about 248 Measles then in the course of a few weeks of the
summer quarter carried off one out of each 31 of the inhabitants, and in the whole year
from one cause or another (13 from disease of the zymotic class) one out of every 14
persons died, or at the rate of 72 in the 1000 ! In Milton's Yard again, a place which
I have repeatedly bad occasion to complain of to the Sanitary Committee, there were
5 deaths from measles in a population of 101 persons, and where the mean nightly
population of each room exceeds three persons. Here then Measles, at a time too be it
recollected when the disease was presenting less than its usual virulence, destroyed one
out of each 34 persons. In this wretched place there were 8 deaths during the year, all
of children under 5 years oj age, and six of them from zymotic diseases representing a
mortality from all causes of about one out of every thirteen persons, or at the rate of
nearly 80 per 1(00! a rate which equalled the mortality of London in the 17th
century. In what respect 1 would ask did the determining causes differ in the two
instances ? I may add, by way of affording the means of contrast, that the general
mortality of London in 1859 was 22 per 1C00.
13. Diphtheria (as a primary disease) is said to have occasioned 45 deaths, or if we add
6 deaths from other forms of sore throat, we have a mortality of 51 against 59 last
year. The greatest number occurred in the first and third quarters, and they were
pretty equally distributed between the two Sub-districts. Two deaths from this
disease occurring in ahor.se in Adelaide Square, gave occasion to a special enquiry
into the sanitary condition of that square, especially in regard to the over-crowding of
the houses. In the whole year I find that 12 persons died there from various diseases
out of a population of 220, seven of whom were children under 5 years of age. This
represents a mortality of one out of every 18 inhabitants, or at the rate of 54 per
1000.
14. Small Pox. Since the termination of the year to which this report has
reference, small-pox has been spreading so extensively in our parish as well as in
other parts of the metropolis, that it is desirable that we should clearly ascertain
our position with regard to it. In 1856 the deaths from small-pox in Islington were
8,'in 1857 they were 12. in 1858 they were 18, in 1359 they rose to 23, including 2
deaths from chicken-pox, tabulated with those of small-pox. These numbers then
exhibit a pretty steady annual increase. During 1859 the mortality moreover steadily
increased from quarter to quarter. Of the 23 true fatal cases, 1 only occurred in
the first quarter, 3 took place in the second, 8 in the third, and 11 in the fourth,
while 14 deaths were registered during the first two months of the present
year. The same sort of progression obtained in London generally. In 1857 and
1858 the numbers registered were 154 and247 respectively, and in the several quarters