London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1890

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]

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128
symptoms of a more or less serious and painful nature. The
mere finding of the "cause of death," in such cases, seems
scarcely to satisfy the requirements of justice; considering
that the death of any person—and particularly of one very
young or very aged—from such diseases as pneumonia,
bronchitis, &c., when there has been no medical attendance,
raises a presumption of neglect which would justify a verdict
of "manslaughter," equally as in the case of the "peculiar
people," who, whilst treating their sick with care, in other
respects, refuse, on mistaken "conscientious" grounds, to
employ medical assistance, and who, as a consequence of such
refusal, death having ensued, have, on several occasions, been
found guilty of manslaughter.
The inquest cases in Kensington were in the proportion of
6.3 per cent. of the total deaths: the rate in the Metropolis was
7.3 per cent., in England and Wales 5.6 per cent.
The reported deaths from different forms of violence were
equal to 2.3 per cent. of the deaths from all causes in Kensington,
the proportion in the Metropolis being 3.4 per cent. and in
England and Wales 3.2 per cent.
METEOROLOGY.
The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich in 1890 was
48.6° Fahrenheit, the same as the average in 119 years, but 0'7
below the average of 49 years: the means in the four quarters respectively
were 41.4, 52.8, 59.4 and 40.8. The highest reading by day
(82.8) was registered in the week ended August 9th, and the
lowest reading by night (13.1) in the week ended March 8th.
The highest mean weekly readings by day in the four quarters
respectively, were 57.3, 71.5, 74.4 and 66.3, and of the lowest
readings by night 28.5, 33.1 46.0 and 22.1. The hottest week
was that which ended August 2nd (mean temperature 62.9), and
the coldest week that which ended December 20th (mean