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29
DIARRHŒA.
The deaths from diarrhoea in Shoreditch during the year were distributed as follows:—In
April 2, May 2, June 4, July 49, August 70, September 19, October 3, and
in November 2, the disease being prevalent in the Borough during July, August and
September, and the deaths most numerous from about the middle of July to the middle
of August. The death returns show that in the second week of July 4 deaths were
registered, in the third week the number rose to 15, in the fourth week to 27, in
the first week of August it was 23, in the second 24, in the third 16, and the number
fell to 7 in the fourth week. The deaths from diarrhoea, numbered 151, including
deaths registered as due to epidemic or zymotic enteritis. There were also 66 deaths
attributed to enteritis or gastro enteritis, chiefly amongst infants. Of the deaths from
diarrhoea 121 were of infants under one year, 22 of children under five years, 2 of
children between 5 and 10 years, and the remainder were of persons aged 55 years and
upwards. The death-rate from diarrhoea was 1.30 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared
with 1.63 in 1904, 1.23 in 1903, 1.12 in 1902, 1.30 in 1901, 1.40 in 1900, 1.75 in
1899, 1.79 in 1898, and 1.74 in 1897. The rate was therefore below the average for
the previous eight years. The distribution of the deaths from diarrhoea in the wards
of the Borough and the death-rates are shown in Tables VI. and VII. (Appendix).
There were no deaths in Moorfields Ward. The death-rates in the other wards varied
from 0.53 per 1,000 inhabitants in Kingsland to 2.08 in Hoxton. Generally it may
be stated that the deaths were most numerous in those parts of the Borough where the
density of the population was greatest.
The deaths from diarrhoea in the metropolis numbered 3,410, of which 2,706 were
registered during the months of July, August and September. They were at the rate
of 0.72 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with 1.07 in 1904, 0.64 in 1903, 0.53 in
1902, and 0.85 in 1901. Judging from the death-rate, therefore, diarrhoea was not so
prevalent as in 1904.

During 1905 the mortality from diarrhœa amongst infants under one year in
Shoreditch was at the rate of 30.6 per 1.000 births registered during the year as compared
with 20.79 for the whole metropolis.