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37
General's "West Districts of London," and having compared
these with one another and with the Metropolitan rate, I came to
the conclusion that the Lancet writer's conclusions were not borne
out. But I will let the figures speak for themselves.
Death-rate from seven principal zymotic diseases, 1875:—
Parish of Paddington 2.8 per 1,000
Parishes of Fulham and Hammersmith 5.2 „
Parish of Chelsea 4.2 ,,
„ St. George, Hanover Square 2.4 „
Parishes of St. Margaret and St. John,
Westminster 4.7 „
Westminster Union 2.8 „
Parish of Kensington 2.5 „
Brompton sub-district 2.4 „
All London 3.9 „
I do not wish to attach too great importance to the above
figures (and I have already entered a protest against deductions
drawn from insufficient data), but I think they may be taken with
others to show that South Kensington is not open to the reproach
levelled against it.
I need perhaps have added nothing to prove the inutility of taking
gross numbers, in short periods, with a view to reliable deductions
from vital statistics; but the following figures so eloquently point
out the fallacy which may arise from so doing, that I shall not
weaken them by comment.
Total number of deaths registered from the seven principal
diseases of the zymotic class in Kensington for three half-years
ended:—
June 30,1876. December 31,1876. June 30,1877.
312 189 91
Annual death-rate per 1000 persons living from these diseases
in the half-years ended :—
June 30,1876. December 31,1876. June 30, 1877.
4.2 2.4 l.2
Before concluding these observations, it may be remarked that
in the controversy, it having been assumed by the parishioner,
that sewer gas from defective drainage is the only cause of
Typhoid Fever, I stated my opinion that an equally fruitful source of
sewer gas poisoning is the absence of ventilation in drains otherwise
well planned. The prevalent custom, moreover, of connecting