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80
In one or other of these ways some hundreds of cases come to
our knowledge in the course of every year. How many never
get reported at all it is impossible to sav, but from the fact that
most of the fatal cases are concealed until death has been registered,
it may be inferred that unrecorded cases of recovery are
numerous.
This drawback, notwithstanding, much good has resulted
from the success of our efforts to obtain voluntary notification,
so that we are encouraged to persevere in endeavours to
increase the sources of information, whilst we hopefully await
the superior advantages of the compulsory system.
With the view of informing myself upon this point I have
recently investigated the statistics of mortality for twenty.four
years in respect of the “principal diseases of the zymotic class;"
comparing the total number of deaths in the first half period
(1859.70), before I entered upon the duties of Medical Officer,
with the number in the second half period (1871.82), during
which, moreover, we have had the inestimable advantage of
hospital accommodation.
The results of the investigation are set out in the following
tables, showing the deaths of Kensington people (at home and
in hospitals) in two periods of twelve years respectively, and
from the diseases in question.