View report page

137
deaths (males 9, females 11) uncertified in Kensington occurred
in the practice of unregistered male practitioners. Four of
the deaths are stated to have been registered on the information
of midwives. One of the deceased persons had been an outpatient
at a hospital. In the remaining cases there appears to
have been no medical attendance. The several cases were duly
reported to the Coroner, who did not deem it necessary to hold
inquests. The causes of death, as registered, were: in six
cases, diseases of heart, lungs, &c.; in five cases premature
birth (including convulsions 3); in four cases, old age ; and in
one case each, phthisis, tuberculosis, convulsions, hemorrhage
(17 days after delivery of a child), and one unknown.
Twelve of the deceased were adults (five of them 60 years of
age and upwards), while of the remaining eight, seven were
under one year and one was in the second year of life.
The attention of the Metropolitan Sanitary Authorities
was recently called to the subject of uncertified deaths, by the
Vestry of St. James, Westminster, that body being of opinion
that "no death should be registered unless the cause thereof is
certified either by a qualified Medical Practitioner or by the
Medical Officer of Health for the District, or by the Coroner
upon inquisition." If it is meant that the Medical Officer of
Health should, as a part of his duty in that capacity, inquire
into and, if practicable, certify the cause of death, I for one
should respectfully prefer not to come under any such obligation.
It was stated that "at present three to four per cent. of
the total deaths are not certified ai all;" and this is true, but
the percentage varies within wide limits. It is about 1.0 per
cent. in London; under one per cent. in Kensington; ranging
upwards to 7 per cent. in Wales (8.6 in North Wales), where
probably certification is often unattainable; because. by reason
of the inaccessibility of the place of death, or remoteness from
a doctor's residence, medical attendance cannot be procured.
In such cases, which, I believe, constitute a large proportion of
the total number, the suggested duty would be altogether
k