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13
SUMMARY OF VITAL STATISTICS, 1883.
The first fact to be remarked is that, as already mentioned,
the Kensington death-rate in 1883 was lower than in any
other year of which we possess the vital statistics. And
this lower death-rate was due, not to exceptional causes
operating at particular periods, but to a good average condition
of the public health from the beginning to the end of
the year; for in every one of my ordinary reports, thirteen
in number, each covering a period of four weeks, I had the
satisfaction of recording a rate below the decennial average.
The mortality from the "principal diseases of the zymotic
class," as a whole, was, as we shall see, far below the average;
but the deaths from diphtheria and enteric fever were slightly
in excess, and the deaths from whooping cough considerably
above the average. The mortality from whooping cough was
evenly spread throughout the year, and the same may be
said of enteric fever, there having been no marked general
autumnal increase, although there was a smart local outbreak
to which reference will be made later on. There was
one death only from small-pox. Scarlet fever was little
prevalent. The deaths from diarrhoea were less than
two-thirds the average number corrected for increase of
population, and of the 80 deaths from this cause, 48 were
registered in eight weeks (24th—31st; June 16th to August
11th). Of the 39 deaths from measles 33 occurred in the
second half of the year. In only one period of four weeks
(November 3 to December 1), did the deaths from the principal
diseases of the zymotic class exceed the average, and
then by two only.
The death-rate during the first four weeks of the year was
18.7 per 1,000, the decennial average being 20.7: it was 2.2
below the Metropolitan rate, (20.9) this being 3.8 below the
decennial average. The deaths from the principal diseases
of the zymotic class were 21 (including seven from enteric
fever), or 10 below the decennial average: mean