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I must leave eacli of you, Gentlemen, to draw your own conclusions from these
facts, warning you, however, that the problem is a complicated one, and may,
amongst other things, involve this question, namely, how far our geographical
position, elevation, peculiarities of climate, and the special character of our population,
as to the proportion of the sexes and ages, and as to their occupation, &c.,
modify the influence of atmospheric conditions, in the way of intensifying the
fatal operation of extremes of heat and cold, and of giving more favourable results,
as respects disease and mortality, when the winter season is mild and the summer
cool, than obtain in the Metropolis at large. It will appear from Table IV.
that the temperature of every month from January to May, was above the average;
that the temperature of each of the usually warm months, viz., from June to
August, was below the average, and that, with the exception of November, which
was unusually cold, all the rest of the year was mild.
Of the whole number of deaths included in Table I. 1,441 were of males, and
1,569 of females.
4. And now what do we know about the sickness in the Parish during the year 1
There were among the deaths 1,469 of persons over 15 years of age, that is, of
persons old enough to gain their own livelihood. We will apply to this datum the
law of Mr. Edmonds, as I did in my last Report. Thus, by doubling the number
of deaths we arrive at 2,938 persons over 15 years of age, who, on the average,
would have been found at any time in the year incapacitated by some form of acute
disease, and in addition there would have been found 1,469 permanent invalids,
making a total of 4,407 persons of the ages mentioned, who at any time in 1862
might have been found laid up by sickness. An increase of 5 per cent, upon the
adult sickness of 1861 would have given the number for the year at 4,324. Unless
then, as is perhaps the case, our population increased last year more by immigration
of adults* from less healthy districts, than by tlio addition of young persons to
it by birtli or immigration, 1862 was, in Islington, a less favourable year for
adults than it was for infants, comparing it with 1S61. Taking into account,
however, merely the sickness that prevailed among the poor, as represented in
Table V., and this in respect of all ages, it is remarkable that we again arrive at a
favourable conclusion. There was certainly less sickness than might have been
looked for. The population is assumed to have increased one-twentieth, the
* Of the 7,856 persons added to our population, only 2,303 (the difference between the births and
deaths,) were children horn in tho Parish. This will leave no less than 5,493, as the number of persons who
had entered it from other places, over and above thoso who had simply substituted persons that had left thj
Parish.