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the year; this number itself, though not above the average, is nearly a hundred larger
than in the preceding year. But there ought to be no single death from small-pox,
and in proportion to our means of preventing the disease, rather than to the actual
ravages that it commits, is our responsibility to blot out this cause of death from
future registers.
To recapitulate: the zymotic class of diseases was considerably less fatal to St.
Giles's in 1858, than in 1857. All the other groups of disease which have usually been
unduly rife in the district, continued to be in some excess, but none of them maintained
the same amount of excess which they exhibited in 1857. To this rule, the
persistence of consumptive diseases formed the only exception.
We have next to inquire what the localities were that experienced, in 1858,
the undue mortality above demonstrated to have existed in St. Giles's beyond the rest
of London. We shall also ascertain the portions of the district which suffered less
mortality than in 1857, and we shall observe whether any spots, on the other hand,
appear to have had more deaths than in the preceding year.
Chapter IV.—Localization of Disease and Death, in St. Giles's, in 1858.
I have become more and more impressed with the importance of accurately
determining the parts of our district, which contribute most deaths to the register, and
of marking the spots affected with certain diseases and classes of disease. Last year
I undertook this investigation up to a certain point. I am now prepared with more
accurate information, which may be applied to 1857 as well as to 1858, and the facts
elicited will possess a peculiar interest in determining the effect of sanitary work in
various localities.
The registered mortality of 1858, from all causes, after being subjected to certain
corrections, has been shown to be 1331. The deaths were divided as follows, among the
registration sub-districts:—Bloomsbury, 317—153 males, and 164 females; St.
Giles's South, 612—males and females in equal number; St. Giles's North, 402—
199 males, and 203 females. [Appendix, Table V.]
Corrected for twelve deaths in hospitals, and twelve occurring in the workhouse,
the death-rate of Bloomsbury was 203 in the 10,000. From the registered deaths of
St. Giles's South, we must exclude 67 cases which had been brought from the other
two sub-districts, and died in the workhouse; 36, however, must be added for deaths
in hospitals, so that the death-rate of the district is 291 per 10,000. Taken from
St. Giles's North to various hospitals, 23 persons died; and 55 persons from this subdistrict
ended their days in the workhouse. The death-rate, therefore, becomes 275
in the 10,000. These three death-rates are to be compared with those of the preceding
year, remembering that 1857 was shown to be, as nearly as possible, an average
year in its fatality to the district as a whole. In Bloomsbury, 181* of 1857, rose to
203 in 1858. On the other hand, the parish of St. Giles's shows a fall in each of its
chief divisions. In the northern sub-district, the deaths were 283 in 1857, and 275
*The registration year 1857, has been reduced from 53 to 52 weeks, for comparison
with 1858. Hence, at first sight, a discrepancy between the above figures and those given in
my report for the former year.