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92
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The deaths of young children always bear a high ratio to
total deaths, but in 1882 the ratio was lower than usual. The
deaths under five years, 1,114—47 more than in 1881, but 115
fewer than in 1880—were equal to 41.3 per cent. on total deaths,
and to 25.7 per cent. on births registered: the relative percentages
in the metropolis generally, being 43.7 and 27.2. Under
one year of age there were 635 deaths, or 9 less than in 1881,
and 86 less than in 1880, equal to 23.6 per cent. on total deaths,
and to 14.6 per cent. on births registered: the relative percentages
in the Metropolis generally, being 24.2 and 15.1.
The deaths of illegitimate children under five years of age
were 114, equal to 54.8 per cent. on births registered as
illegitimate: all but 11 of them occurred in the Town sub.district.
Of the 114 only 33 outlived the first year, and of these 18 died
in the second year. The causes of death as registered were,
scrofulous and wasting diseases, 35 deaths; want of breast milk,
debility, &c., 6; diseases of the digestive system 7; of the lungs
17; of the nervous system (convulsions) 7; zymotic diseases, 24;
(viz., diarrhoea 10; whooping cough 8; measles 3; diphtheria 2;
scarlet fever, 1); syphilis 7; violence 5; premature birth 5,
and congenital malformation 1.
A large proportion of illegitimate children are brought up by
hand, and by strangers: the evidence of improper feeding, and
absence of maternal care, is sufficiently apparent in the above
list of diseases.
At sixty years of age and upwards there were 619 deaths—7
more than in 1881 but 37 less than in 1880—equal to 22.4 per
cent. on total deaths, the proportion in all London being 20.7
per cent.
The deaths in the first and fourth, or colder, quarters of the
year, exceeded the deaths in the second and third, or warmer,
quarters by 355: in 1880 and 1881 respectively the difference
was 240 and 120 in favour of the warmer quarters.