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but equally by the several returns of its constituant districts;
thus, the deaths in Dulwich rose from 16 to 21, those in
Caraberwell from 493 to 530, those in Peckham from 434 to
4/0, and those in St. George's from 314 to 419; or in other
words, the mortality of the several districts increased by 5, 35,
36, and 105 respectively, the increase in the case of St.
George's being disproportionately large. Again, the mortality
among young children shewed a marked augmentation, 527
children under five years of age having perished this year
against 430 in the year previous. In Dulwich the infantile
mortality showed a slight diminution; but in Camberwell it.
was increased by 13; in Peckham by 24; and in St. George's,
again unfortunately preeminent, by as many as 63. Indeed,
it further appears that although there was a general slight
increase in the death rate for each of the decennial periods of
life, this increase was much larger, not only in the case of
infants, but generally among those under twenty than in those
above that age. Deaths below twenty years were more numerous
by 139 than they were in 1857, and amounted to a
total of 603. Of these 8 belonged to Dulwich, a number exactly
equal to that of the year before; 164 to Camberwell, an increase
of 10; 244 to Peckham, an increase of 32; and no fewer than
237 to St. George's, an increase of 87. It is manifest therefore
not only that the general death rate of the year became augmented
; but that the excessive mortality was limited in great
measure to the young; and was most remarkable in the subdistrict
of St. George's.
If we turn now to the tabulated list of the causes of death,
we shall find that while some of them produced as nearly as
possible the same number of fatal cases as they did in the previous
year ; some, especially among the zymotic class, presented
great fluctuations. Deaths from diarrhoea diminished from 50
to 26, and those from fever from 24 to 20; but small pox