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34
From this it will be seen that while Small-pox increased
much in fatality, and Scarlet Fever a little, there was a considerable
diminution in the deaths from Fever, and an exceedingly
large diminution in the deaths from Hooping
Cough. Scarlet Fever prevailed as a serious epidemic
throughout both 1869 and 1870; in each of which years
more than four times as many persons died of it, as died of it
in the year 1867. In 1868 the deaths from Scarlet fever were
2,921. Deaths from Small-pox were unusually few in 1869,
and were few also in the beginning of 1870; but they
rapidly increased towards the end of the year, at which time
that epidemic, which is now so alarming, may be considered
to have commenced. In the first quarter of the year there
were 99 deaths from Small-pox, in the second 118, in the
third 157, and in the last 584. Notwithstanding these
drawbacks, 1870 was, on the whole, a year of more than
average good health. It may be added that relapsing fever
(which, though scarcely affecting the death-rate, prevailed
to a very great extent in the latter part of 1869)
gradually disappeared from amongst us in the early part o.f
1870.
The death-rates of the five groups of districts into which
London is divided, were as follows :—
West, 2.431 ;North, 2.380; Central, 2.463; East, 2.528;
South, 2.331.
I subjoin, also, a table shewing the population in 1861,
together with the number of deaths, and the number of
deaths due to each of certain specified forms of zymotic
diseases which occurred in the year 1870, in each of these
groups :—