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certified cause of 1,929 deaths in the Metropolis, against 3,697
deaths for the preceding year, and when it was more fatal than
any previous year on record, with the exception of 1864. The
Metropolitan death.rate of Measles last year was 0.43 per 1,U00,
as compared with 0.64, the decennial average rate.
Diarrhcea was certified as the cause of death in 51 instances,
of which 49 related to children under 5 years of age, and to
which subject I have referred in a report on the high birth.rate
and death.rate of the Parish. ■ The above number of deaths,
although in excess of our usual record, compares favourably with
the deaths certified from the same cause throughout the Metropolitan
area, the number during the year being 4,089, equal to a
death.rate of 092 per 1,000, and the highest since the year 1887.
For the two preceding years the number of deaths were 3,223
and 3,600 respectively.
Influenza.—Nine deaths were ascribed to Influenza during
the year, against three for the preceding year. This increase
corresponds with the experience in London as a whole, the
returns for which show that 671 deaths were referred to this
cause, whereas the number for 1896 was 491 ; nevertheless, with
this exception, there were fewer deaths from Influenza last year
than in any other year since 1890, the first year of the epidemic
in London.
Phthisis. St. Luke occupies an uuenviable position in the
list of Metropolitan sanitary areas with respect to deaths from
consumption, the rate being 3.11 per 1,000, and is only exceeded
by St. Saviour, Southwark, with 3.22 and the Strand District with
a rate of 3.36 per 1,000. The actual number of deaths which
took place in the Parish from this disease was 103; 48 of these
occurred at the Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, and
being of non.residents, may therefore be deducted. On the other
hand, 71 parishioners died from the malady in Institutions outside
our parochial boundary, making a total of 126 deaths of
parishioners from this cause.