View report page

2
approximation to the actual number. The death-rate then is easily calculated
and found to be 2.306 per cent., or 230 6 to every ten thousand living. In
1862 the death rate was 2.16 per cent.; in London, as a whole, the death-rate
of 1863 was 2452 percent.; and in the northern group of districts to which
St. Pancras belongs, the death.rate was 2.381. So that the mortality of 1863
was higher than that of 1862, both in St. Pancras and in other parts of London,
but the mortality of St. Pancras was lower than the rest of London; it was also
a little lower than the mortality of the other northern districts. The deathrate,
however, was much higher that it should be. It is found that the
mortality of towns in England, where sanitary measures are thoroughly carried
out, does not exceed 1.7 per cent., instead of amounting to 2.306 per cent. If
this standard of salubrity had been maintained in St. Pancras last year, the
deaths, instead of numbering 4746, would have been only 3499, 1247 fewer
lives would have been lost, to say nothing of the improved health and strength
of those who survived.
The birth-rate during the year was 34.79 per thousand, assuming the number
of births in 1863 to have been 7161* instead of 7277, which was the number
registered in 53 weeks. In 1862 the birth-rate was 33.5 per thousand.
The rate of mortality in the several sub-districts ranged from 21.2 per
thousand in Camden Town to 25.2 in Somers town. Placed in their order of
salubrity, they stood as follows: Camden Town, Kentish Town, Regent's Park,
Gray's Inn, Tottenham Court, and Somers Town.
In regard to Infant Mortality, which 1 have estimated by comparing the
numbering of deaths under 5 years with the number of births, the sub-districts
stand in the following order, beginning with the most healthy: Kentish Town,
Tottenham Court, Gray's Inn Road, Regent's Park, Camden Town, and Somers
Town.
In the parish at large, to every 1000 children born, 290 died under 5 years
of age; in Somers Town, to every thousand born, 312 died at that age; and in
Kentish Town only 257.
In the entire parish the births were to all the deaths in the proportion of
1000 to 657; in Tottenham Court Road they were as 1000 to 713; in Somers
Town as 1000 to 713; whilst in Kentish Town they were as 1000 to 602 only.
Table I. appended to this Report gives a detailed account of the causes of
all the deaths so far as they could be ascertained, and the ages at which they
proved fatal. The classification followed is that adopted by the RegistrarGeneral,
which is not free from objection, but has the advantage of being
extensively known and generally employed in this country.

* That is to say, by reducing them in the proportion which a calendar year is less than 53 weeks.