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destroyed 7 lives instead of 4; measles 28 instead of 7; hooping
cough 51 in the place of 30; and scarlet fever 129 instead
of 44. Further, a disease termed diphtheria, which previously
had either not prevailed or had been overlooked, made its appearance
and numbered 14 victims. The most important agents therefore
in increasing the mortality were measles, hooping cough,
scarlet fever, and diphtheria, which together produced 222 deaths,
or 141 more than they produced in 1857. And this statement is
confirmed by the fact already pointed out that the chief increase
of deaths took place in young persons, whom such diseases
usually attack; and by the further fact that these diseases prevailed
more especially in those districts in which the mortality
is ascertained to have been the largest; measles for example,
having caused 4 deaths in Camberwell, 7 in St. George's, and 17
in Peckham; hooping cough, 1 in Dulwich, 10 in Camberwell,
14 in Peckham, and 26 in St. George's; diphtheria, 1 in Dulwich,
2 in Camberwell, 6 in Peckham, and 5 in St. George's;
and scarlet fever, 1 in Dulwich, 30 in Camberwell, 35 in Peckham,
and 60 in St. George's. It may be added that the deaths
were disproportionately numerous during the last 6 months of
the year, and that it was also during that period that these
diseases most prevailed.
Now, although I have taken some pains to show to what
causes our increased mortality was in great measure due; it
must not be hastily assumed that my arguments go to prove a
generally unsatisfactory state of the health of the parish. I have
shewn you that our mortality was greater last year than the year
before; but it must be born in mind that 1857 was a peculiarly
healthy year, and therefore not a perfectly fair standard of comparison,
and that the population had increased during 1858, on
which account alone a somewhat larger mortality was to be
expected during that year than during the previous one. I have
pointed out that certain forms of zymotic disease were unusually