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13
In another house it was found that the father, mother, and
two living children were occupying the same room, the only
one they possessed, as the corpse. Two other children of
the same family had also, the previous month, died from
scarlet fever. It is occurrences such as these which point
to the urgent need there is for a public mortuary in St.
Pancras; and until such mortuary is provided, and the
public are taught to take advantage of this opportunity
for removing infection from their homes, such calamities
must be expected to happen. It is often urged that
where a mortuary is provided it is not used as freely as
those who have recommended it have expected. Undoubtedly
the habit of removing infectious bodies to mortuaries can
only be acquired by the slow process of education; but until
proper accommodation is provided our parishioners will
never be educated in this direction. As the Vestry are aware,
at the present time, the Workhouse deadhouse is the only
place which can be used for this purpose; it is then no
matter for surprise that with only such opportunities at their
disposal as this place offers, our parishioners are slow to
learn the advantages which would result from the removal
of the infectious dead from a room which has to be shared
by the living.
DIPHTHERIA.
During 1883 there were 78 deaths from Diphtheria, being
27 more than in the previous year. The number of deaths was
16.6 in every 1000 deaths from "all causes," and 0.32 in
every 1000 of population. During the previous 10 years the
average number of deaths from diphtheria had been 7.7 in
every 1000 deaths from "all causes." In London the
average number of deaths was 11.7 in every 1000 deaths
from "all causes," and 0.24 per 1000 of population. St.
Pancras, therefore, has suffered more heavily from this
disease than London as a whole.
The following table shows the incidence of deaths from
diphtheria on the different sub-registration districts. All
the deaths from Diphtheria were referred to the sub-registration
districts to which they belong, but 87 deaths from "all
causes," which could not be referred, are eliminated from
consideration. (Vide Note, page 3).