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the preceding year, Measles, Scarlatina, Whooping Cough
and Diarrhoea constituting the causes of death in the majority
of instances throughout the District.
Small-pox was fatal in 21 instances, the deaths occurring
in about equal proportions in Battersea and Clapham only.
In the Sub-districts of Wandsworth, Putney and Streatham,
no fatal cases of this disease were registered in the
past year.
It may be here observed that the want of a public prosecutor
to inforce the penal provisions of the Vaccination
Act, as well as those of other legislative measures bearing
upon the public health, is still felt; and some important
amendments of the Acts relating to the adulteration of
food, the regulation of labour in factories, and a few others,
appear to be urgently required. The Royal Commission
at present sitting in the metropolis, will possibly be able
to effect some desirable alterations of the existing laws
relating to the public health, and it is hoped the deliberations
of this body will result in some really practicable and
easily enforced measures of sanitary reform.
Ages at Death.—There has unfortunately to be noted
the same unsatisfactory feature of the Mortality Table as
in the Report of the previous year, viz.:— a very
high death-rate of infants and children in every Sub-district,
and of almost every class of the community. By
referring to the first three columns relating to "Age," in
Table I. Appendix, it will be seen that 692 infants died
under 1 year; that from 1 to 5 years, 489 succumbed; and
that from 5 to 10 years, 57 deaths were registered, making
a total between birth and 10 years of age, of 1,238, which
is but 83 less than the total mortality at all ages. Of
these 1,238 deaths, as many as 471 resulted from Zymotic
diseases.
The deaths registered as being exclusively due to
natural decay, without the mention of any other cause,
were 114, the oldest of these persons having attained the
great age of 104! Amongst the persons of advanced life
dying of disease or accident, there was one registered as
being 103 at the time of death, several as being over 90
years, and still more between 60 and 80. Of the two