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7
The epidemics of the year have been Small Pox, Measles,
Scarlatina, and Whooping Cough.
Of Small Pox I shall speak further on.
Measles caused 161 deaths as against the exceptionally small
number of 48 in the previous year. The disease was not so severely
epidemic as in 1879, when the mortality reached 219, this being
the highest number recorded.
Scarlatina caused 116 deaths, but it was less fatal as an epidemic
than in any year since 1873, the number of deaths in 1880
and previous years being 198, 135, 173, 200, 125, 222, and 129
respectively.
The epidemic of Whooping Cough was comparatively mild in
its character, causing only 172 deaths, as compared with 299, 229,
and 296 in the three previous years.
Typhoid Fever was somewhat more prevalent during a part of
the year than usual, but it neither spread so extensively nor was it
so fatal as we at first anticipated. 75 deaths were attributed to
Typhoid, Typhus, and to Fever generally.
SMALL POX.
The chief Epidemic of the year was undoubtedly Small Pox,
and this not only in Islington, but in London generally.
The renewed activity of small pox in Islington, became first
decidedly apparent in December, 1880, when 29 cases were reported
as against 3 cases recorded during the nine previous weeks.
I have, however, limited the details of the following table
(No. V.), to the year 1881, and have shown the number of cases of
sickness as they occurred week by week, as well as the deaths
month by month, (including those that occurred in hospitals).
The progress, extent, and decline of the disease may thus be very
easily traced. Beginning with 7 cases in the first week of January,
the numbers increased with some little weekly variation, until the
intensity of the disease culminated with 53 reported cases in the
first week of June.