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

View report page

Kensington 1891

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]

This page requires JavaScript

60
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 lias 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 ti'3 per cent, of the total deaths : the rate in the Metropolis
was 7'4 per cent., in England and Wales 5o per cent.
The reported deaths from different forms of violence
were equal to 2'6 per cent, of the deaths from all causes in
Kensington, the proportion in the Metropolis being 3*6 per
cent, and in England and Wales 3.2 per cent.
METEOROLOGY.
The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich in 1891
was 48.4° Fahrenheit; 0.2 below the average in 120 years,
and 0.8 below the average of 50 years: the means in the four
quarters respectively were 37.6, 5T6, 59.3 and 45.0. The
highest reading by day (85.1) was registered in the week
ended July 18th, and the lowest reading by night (12.0) in the
week ended Januaty 10th. The mean of the highest readings
of the thermometer in the four quarters respectively (62T,
84.3, 85.1 and 68.3) was recorded in the weeks ended
February 28, June 20. July 18 and October 10, and of the
lowest readings by night (12.0, 30.8, 40.2 and 17.3) in the
weeks ended January 10, April 18, October 3 and December 26.
The hottest week was that which ended June 27th (mean
temperature 64.0), and the coldest week that which ended