London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Giles (Camden) 1862

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles District]

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almost with our own. The Strand, with an unusually high death-rate, still
had much fewer deaths than Holborn or St. Giles'. St. Martin's and St. Marylebone
were close on the average of London, and St. Pancras was the only one
of the districts under review that held a better position than that average. The
death-rates of these districts, in 1862, are compared with those witnessed in
former years in the subjoined Table.

Death-rate per 10.000* in St. Giles's and neighbouring Districts.

districts.1857.1858.1859.18C0.1861.1862.
St. Pancras197.0224.9221.4208.7228.3215.5
St. Marylebone217.3224.0225.0227.7242.5237.1
Metropolis221.0234.4227.0224.1231.8234.1
Holborn236.3247.7248.6238.7270.4285.5
Strand239.4226.6262.9231.5233.7254.6
St. Martin243.0218.5246.7228.6233.7238.0
St. Giles's280.0258.2260.1262.4270.3289.0

* Correction is here made for the longer duration of the registration year, 1857.
Also for all deaths in hospitals and outlying workhouses.
SECTION III.—On the causes of Death in St. Giles' District.
Passing from the consideration of the gross mortality of St. Giles' to
investigate the particular diseases that caused it, it is instructive first to examine
them side by side with the same diseases as prevailing in other parts of London.
The population of St. Giles' in 1862, being 1÷ 52.6th part of that of the
whole metropolis, this proportion of deaths from each class of causes would
be expected to fall to our share. Some diseases, however, show a higher mortality
than this quota, while others were fatal to less than the calculated
degree.
Zymotic Diseases have of course the first interest for us. They are the
class of disorders whose prevention has been regarded as specially within the
province of sanitary science, and they form one of the chief groups of diseases
from which St. Giles' suffers to a greater degree than other parts of London.
In 1862, the miasmatic order of these diseases produced 327 deaths in St. Giles',
a slight excess above the average number of recent years. Comparing this
number with the quota for St. Giles' population in the year, the excess is about
what is generally observed.
The mortality of London at large, from this group of disorders, was such
that 310 deaths would have been reckoned to our population. The actual
deaths were therefore, on this standard, in some but not in considerable excess.
Small Pox caused only four deaths.* Measles and Scarlatina increased much
in prevalence through the year in St. Giles', as elsewhere in London, but Measles
produced fewer deaths, while Scarlatina caused a few more than would be
calculated for the population. While Diphtheritis was little fatal to our district,
Croup† is stated to have caused 26 deaths instead of the estimated quota
of 18. Whooping Cough affected St, Giles' much like the rest of London.
Diar. hoea was singularly little fatal, only 25 deaths being returned from it—the
* Again it must be noted that some deaths of rieketty children, where "crowing respiration"
appears as a main symptom, are probably inserted under this head. Such
deaths would be likely to happen with particular frequency in St. Giles'.
† There is some doubt about one of these cases; in the distribution of mortality into
localities, three Small-pox deaths only could be placed.