View report page

11
diarrhoea, measles and scarlet fever, in the order named, were responsible
for the greater number. The death-rate from these infectious diseases was
5.4 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with 6.5 in 1907, 0.7 in 1906, 6.2 in 1905,
C.8 in 1904, and 6.5 in 1903.

It will be noticed that half of these deaths were of children under the
age of five years. Taking the total mortality amongst children under five
years of age, about 40 per cent, resulted from these infectious diseases, as
compared with 42 per cent, in 1907. In infants under one year
diarrhoea and tuberculosis were the most fatal of these diseases, whilst amongst
children aged from one to five years measles, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, and scarlet
fever claimed most of the victims. Consumption was the chief cause of the
mortality from these diseases between the ages of 20 and 65 years.
The deaths from small pox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria including
membranous croup, whooping cough, enteric fever and diarrhoea, which are
the principal zymotic diseases, numbered 219, the death-rate due to them
being 1.9 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with 2.9 in 1907, 3.1 in 1906, 2.S
in 1905, 3.2 in 1904, 2.8 in 1903, 3.6 in 1902, 2.9 in 1901, 3.1 in 1900, 3.6
in 1899, 4.1 in 1898, 4.2 in 1897, 4.3 in 1896, 3.8 in 1895, 2.8 in
1894, and 4.7 in 1893. The zymotic death-rate was, therefore, greatly below
the average, and is one of the lowest, if not the lowest recorded for Shoreditch
during the past fifty years. A comparison of the zymotic death-rate of London
and Shoreditch and the eight wards of the Borough is given in Table VII.
(Appendix). The death-rate due to the principal zymotic diseases was highest
in Church and Whitmore and lowest in Acton and Moorfields Wards, in connection
with which it may be noted that the population in the latter two wards
is of considerable less density to the acre than is the case with the other two
wards.