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10
The recorded Death-rate of England and Wales=
15.4 per 1.000 per annum.
The recorded Death-rate of Croydon=11.8 per 1000
per annum.
The recorded Death-rate of Brighton=14.3 per 1000
per annum.
The Recorded and Corrected Death-rates of the Finchley
District for 1903 are among the lowest on record, and they
are considerably below the corresponding rates for the whole
of the Outer Zone of London. This fact, taken in conjunction
with the low rate of Infantile Mortality which has prevailed
for several years, is incontrovertible evidence of the healthiness
of the District. The reduced Death-rate for the year is largely
due to favourable climatic conditions.
The rainfall of England and Wales during 1903 was
sufficiently unusual to justify an inquiry as to how far and
in what direction it may have influenced the mortality statistics,
for the rainfall of the past year exceeded the average of
the previous 15 years by at least 35 per cent. The consequences,
physical and otherwise, of rainfall, are manifold. It
tends to keep the atmosphere clean; it keeps collections of
dust and refuse moist, and therefore prevents particles from
being detached by the wind, thus reducing the chances of
infection of food, etc., by organisms; the flushing effect of
the rainfall upon the sewers and the cleansing effects upon
gullies, yards and pavements must also be thought of. On
the other hand the rising of the level of the subsoil water and
the general increase of surface moisture are responsible for
conditions of dampness which may give rise to several forms
of disease.