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REPORT
on the
SANITARY CONDITION OF ST. MARY, ISLINGTON,
FOR AUGUST, 1868.
No. CXXXVI.
The extreme heat of the present summer began to abate in the third week
of the month to which this Report relates. In the week ending August 1st,
the mean temperature was 5.3 deg. above the average of fifty years
(Glaisher); in that ending August 8th it was 7.6 deg. above the average,
while in the weeks ending August 15th and 22nd it was only 2.4 and
1.0 deg. above the average. Rain also fell each week but only in large
quantity in the fourth week. The meteorological characters of the
month then have, in these two very important elements, been such as to
promote general sickness and diarrhoeal affections, and to favour a high
mortality. And the result of examination of the sickness and mortality
returns corresponds with this anticipation.
The number of deaths recorded during these four weeks is 342, or
26 above the corrected average mortality of August during the past ten
years. The excess is mainly dependent upon a high death rate from
bowel affections. There were 94 deaths from diarrhoea registered, and
seven from summer cholera.
The total new cases of sickness taken on the books of the Institutions,
which furnish me with returns, was 3515. With the exception of
the cholera year, 1866, this is by far the largest number I have yet
registered in August. In August last year the number of new cases
was 2831. The diseases which have been unusually prevalent, for the
season, have been measles, scarlatina, bowel complaints, continued fever,
acute throat affections, and bronchitic and catarrhal affections. The
total new cases of bowel complaints recorded is 661. With the