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St. Pancras Parish (and indeed London generally) exhibited a more
favourable rate of mortality than the following large towns: Liverpool,
Edinburgh, Manchester, Salford, Glasgow, Dublin, Hull,
Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Portsmouth, Norwich, "Wolverhampton,
Leicester, Nottingham, Bradford, Oldham, Sheffield, Newcastle-onTyne,
and Sunderland.
The year 1872 was characterised in this parish by the little prevalence
of epidemic disease. Small Pox was almost non-existent
among us. Scarlet Fever had comparatively few victims, and the
same may be said of Diphtheria. Measles and Hooping Cough were
rather more prevalent—the latter constituting our chief zymotic
disease. Typhus and Enteric (Typhoid) Fevers were less prevalent
than usual, and relapsing fever was entirely absent. Summer and
autumn diarrhoea also killed fewer victims than usual.
The Disinfecting Chamber continues to do good service and is an
invaluable adjunct, not only during greater but also during minor
prevalence of epidemic diseases.
METEOROLOGY.
The Meteorology of the year 1872 was so peculiar, and, no doubt,
influenced to so considerable an extent the mortality of the year,
that it is worthy of a detailed notice.
January was a wet and tempestuous month, the rainfall being
about three times as great as the average of this month. There were
no severe frosts.
During February the temperature was, as a rule, above the average
of the month. Though the number of rainy days was not great, the
depth of rainfall was excessive.
In March, about three weeks of variable weather was succeeded by
a week of bitterly cold weather. The end of the month was tempestuous
and warm. The rainfall was a little above the average.
April was characterised by great alternations in temperature,
excessive rainfall, and electrical disturbances.
May was cold, ungenial, and stormy. Vegetation was retarded
and destroyed in many parts of England by frigid polar winds,
snow, sleet, and thunder storms. The rainfall was excessive.
June was a variable and stormy month. It is not often that (as
in this month) England is visited by a storm accompanied by sleet
in June. The rainfall was large.
The Meteorology of July has been aptly described as "one grand
prolonged series of demonstrations of the powers of elemental electricity."
Sultry days, humid winds, and thunder storms characterised
this month. Again the rainfall was excessive.
In August the temperature was unusually low, thunder storms
prevailed, and the rainfall was large.