View report page

9
Notwithstanding the low death-rate, the actual deaths from the principal
Zymotic diseases were considerably above those of the previous year, Whooping
Cough and Diphtheria chie9y contributing to this result.
The deaths referred to Diarrhoea as well as to diseases of the digestive
organs and to violence were also in excess, whilst on the other hand the
number of deaths attributable to diseases of the respiratory organs was very
much below that of any year since 187G.
Smll-pox was severely epidemic throughout the year, increasing in its
intensity towards the close.
Out of 608 cases of sickness from Small-pox recorded during 1884 in the
Sanitary Department, there were 97 deaths.
36 of these deaths were registered in the parish (including those which
happened in the Highgate Hospital), and 61 deaths occurred in the hospitals
of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
Tables will be found further on showing the progress of the disease during
1884 and the first six months of the current year The highest number of
cases were recorded in January and February, 1885.
Measles was again epidemic but not in its severest form, 125 deaths
only having occurred, as against 165, 153, 161, 48, and 219 in the five previous
years.
Diphtheria was seriously epidemic within a limited area, and caused 114
deaths. 79 of the deaths were registered in the Eastern portion of the Upper
Hlloway district, the epidemic having also affected the more sparsely populated
districts upon its Northern and Eastern outlying borders. The deaths
from Diphtheria in the three previous years were 70, 54, 42.
Scarlatina caused only 57 deaths, against 95, 142, 116, 198, 135, 173,
200, 125, 222 and 129 in the previous ten years. The small area in which
Diphtheria was so very prevalent was apparently little affected by Scarlatina,
which caused only 7 deaths in the district, as against 79 attributable to Diphtheria.
In the other registration districts there were 29,13 and 8 deaths from
Scarlatina respectively, as against 20, 9, and 6 deaths from Diphtheria.