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6
IV. Development Diseases.
1 Congenital Malformations and Developmental
Diseases of Children 142
2 Developmental Diseases of Adults 11
3 Developmental Diseases of Old Age 249
4 Diseases of Nutrition 189
V. Violent Deaths.
1 Accidental or from Negligence 120
2 Homicide 9
3 Suicide 23
VI. Causes not specified 43
The Miasmatic diseases, including Small Pox, Measles, Scarlet Fever,
Diarrhoea, and the diseases commonly called Epidemic, are very much under
the influence of sanitary measures, so that their prevalence is commonly taken
as an evidence of defective sanitary arrangements. Last year their number
was 986, whilst in 1860 it was only 660, and in 1859 it was 1084, and in
1858 the number was 1168.
Of these diseases in 1861, Hooping Cough was most fatal, causing 269
deaths; Scarlatina came next with 201 deaths; then Diarrhoea and Cholera
with 140 deaths, Typhus with 95, Measles with 114 deaths, Diphtheria 51, and
Croup 27, besides 20 from Laryngitis. From Small Pox the number of deaths
was only 7, a lower mortality than has prevailed any year since my appointment
in 1856. It is to be hoped that the absence of deaths from this disease
will not encourage a neglect of vaccination, because so certainly as this is the
case will another epidemic of Small Pox break out within a few years, and
cut off large numbers of those who are unprotected, owing to the negligence
or obstinacy of their parents or guardians. There is reason to fear that many
children born last year were not vaccinated, judging from the Returns of the
Public Vaccinations for the year ending 29th September, 1861. Out of 6865
registered births, there were successfully vaccinated by the Parochial Vaccinators
only 3082. Now if we suppose that 2800 children were either
vaccinated by other vaccinators, or died under the age of three mouths, there
is still a large number of children, about 1000, whose vaccination has been
neglected. This is really a serious matter.
Typhus Fever was very extensively prevalent in many parts of London
during 1861, so that the London Fever Hospital was usually very full all the
year. It is gratifying to find that there were only about 30 patients who
required to be sent from St. Pancras to that Hospital during the year, at an
expense of £32. 4s. In 1856 the cost of patients sent there amounted to nearly
£300.
Puerperal Fever, or the fever which attacks women in childbirth, has been
more fatal than usual, 18 deaths having been due to this cause, besides 11 other
deaths due to other complications of childbirth.
From Scrofula, Tubercle, and Rickets (diseases frequently engendered by
living in impure air, at other times inherited or brought on by want of proper
and sufficient nourishment), the deaths were 826, whilst in 1860 they were 740.