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REPORT
ISL 3
11
ON THE
SANITARY CONDITION OF SAINT MARY, ISLINGTON,
FOR JANUARY, 1861.
No. XLVI.
With an interval of slight thaw during three or four days at the close of
last year, the frost which set in on the 18th of December, continued
until the middle of January; after which the cold moderated, and the
last week of the month was comparatively mild, the wind having
changed from the north and east to the south-west. The effect of this
prolonged frost we can now commence to reckon up. It is seen chiefly
in depression of vital force, in the fatal prevalence of congestions
and inflammations of the chest, the acceleration of the fatal issue in
cases of chest and chronic heart disease, and in the augmented mortality
from affections of the great nervous centres.
The total number of deaths registered* was 331. The mean (uncorrected)
for the four previous years being 221. . I have not yet
recorded a mortality during four weeks, which at all approaches this
number. The weekly deaths were 83, 82, 87 and 79. The depressing
influence of the cold weather fell with greatest force upon those whose
power of vital resistance was enfeebled by old age. Of the 331 deaths,
94 were of persons above 60 years of age; 3 were aged 80 years, 3
were aged 82, 3 aged 83, 6 aged 84, 1 aged 87, 5 aged 88, 1 aged 93,
1 aged 94, and 2 aged 96 years. By far the greater number of these
were persons in comfortable circumstances. Of those above 80, 7 were
* It will be observed that the mortuary table Has been re-modelled to correspond
with the form which has received the sanction of the International Statistical Congress,
and which is now in use by the Registrar General.