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about 17.7. To sum up, tlie mortality of St. Pancras in 1857 was higher than
that in 1856, lower than the average of ten preceding years, lower than that of
the metropolis as a whole, and lower than that of the group of districts amongst
which it stands. But we must not conclude from these facts that St. Pancras
has been as healthy as it ought to be; far from it. We must not look for our
standard to other places where precisely the same causes exist to shorten life as in
this parish; but must find out, if possible, what is the natural mortality amongst
Englishmen living in towns under favorable sanitary regulations. Unfortunately
we can find no large body of Englishmen breathing pure air, taking pure food,
and free from vice. In the words of the Registrar·General, " We can point to
no model city—to no model caste. "We can discover no model parish in the
country." It should be our ambition to constitute ourselves a model. We can,
however, at present find districts in which the mortality of a town population is
very much lower than in St. Pancras.
The Registrar·General tells us that a mortality of 17 per 1000 is one which
may very fairly be aimed at and expected even in large towns so soon as the
laws of nature are not violated, and the teachings of sanitary science are fairly
observed. That something has been done to prolong human life of late years
may be seen from the fact, that in London during the sixteenth century the population
lived only about 20 years on an average, instead of 37 years as now, and out
of every thousand living 50 died every year, instead of 22 or 23. If the mortality
of St. Pancras had been at the rate of 17 per 1000 during 1857, instead of
3848 persons dying, there would have been only 3200; in one year 648 lives
would have been saved.
It will be interesting to compare the mortality of the various sub·districts
of this parish with each other. We shall see that some of the sub·districts
exhibit a much higher rate of mortality than others; out of 10,000 persons
living in each, there died in Regent'sPark 218, in Tottenham231,in Gray's Inn
215, in Somers Town 218, in Camden Town 186, and in Kentish Town 177, so
that in Tottenham Court Road sub·district people died at the rate of 23 per
1000, in Kentish Town they died at the rate of less than 18 per 1000. This is
a difference so extraordinary that I have been at some pains to see whether there
are any circumstances of age or civil condition which will help to explain it.

The table may be read thus: in Regent's Park sub·district, of every 1000
persons living in 1851, 122 were under 5 years, and 58 above 60 years of age;