View report page

15
Disease—Prevalence of—Fatality of during the past Year.
As disease invariably falls on the poor in greatest amount and in
greatest intensity, the amount of disease which has occurred amongst
them may be always assumed as a fair criterion of the amount of disease
which has prevailed generally, especially if it has been of an epidemic
nature. The Medical-Iielief Book of this parish shews the occurrence
of 266 cases of sickness less during the last than during the preceding
year, the total number of cases having been 1,593 in 1855, and 1,327 in
1856. The amount of zymotic disease, and its resulting deaths, were
also somewhat less than in the previous year, there having been, in 1855,
410 cases and 13 deaths, and in 1856, 392 cases and 12 deaths. Smallpox,
measles, scarlet-fever, and hooping-cough had their accustomed run,
and were all attended with fatality. Small-pox was the most prevalent,
fever and hooping-cough the most fatal of this class: the two latter were
equally fatal. The greatest mortality from any single disease was from
phthisis, which carried off -1/6th of the whole.
It will now be desirable to examine in detail some of the principal
causes of the excess of mortality suffered by this parish, together with
those conditions which have reference to the principal sanitary operations
of the past year.
Here also will be a desirable place to introduce a Table giving a summary
of these operations—the number of houses which were examined
and reported on, and in which sanitary improvements were made. I
have forborne to intrude any account of the examination of gas works,
horse slaughter-houses, butchers' shambles, paper mills, piggeries, open
ditches, and other public nuisances which were the subjects of special
reports, inasmuch as their evils have been, as far as at present practicable,
removed.

TABLE II.
Table shewing the Number of Houses examined and reported on, and in which
Sanitary improvements were made during the year 1856.