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18. There is a further anomaly to be reconciled, viz., the death-rate of
infants to population in relation to the death-rate of infants to the total deathrate.
This is especially remarkable in Blooms bury, where the death-rate of
infants to population is low, whilst the death-rate to total mortality is high.
The explanation is to be found, to a large degree, in the fact that Bloomsbury,
in great part, consists of well-to-do families who employ servants in
the proportion, probably, of one-third of the whole number of inmates.
Most of these servants when taken seriously ill, return to their homes, where
they die and are registered. They, moreover, rarely have children. Hence
it happens that these dependants, being counted in our population, but not
as a rule in our registers of mortality, swell the former and reduce the latter.
The apparent anomalies, therefore, in our Tables of Infant Mortality, are
easily accounted for.
The Death-Rate among Persons 60 Years of Age and Upwards.
19. The registered number of persons dying at this period of life is 271
for the entire district, in the proportion of Bloomsbury 80, St. Giles South
143, St. Giles North 48. The deaths in the Workhouse, however, of persons
belonging to the two sub-districts of Bloomsbury (8) and St. Giles North (25)
with those of others (5) admitted from outside parishes must be subtracted
from St. Giles South, and appropriated to their respective sub-districts.
This having been done, the figures stand thus: Bloomsbury 88, St. Giles
South 105, St. Giles North 73.
20. The following Summary shows the rate of deaths at these ages to
population:
Whole District 1 death in every 200 population = 5 per 1000.
St. George Blooms bury 1 ,, 197.6 ,, = 5.06 ,,
St. Giles South 1 ,, 185.5 ,, = 5.39 ,,
St. Giles North 1 ,, 235.6 ,, = 4.24 ,,
21. The Death-rate among Persons at all ages (excluding Infants and
Persons 60 years of age and upwards):
Whole District 1 death in every 62 population = 16.16 per 1000.
St. Geo. Bloomsbry. 1 ,, 84 ,, = 11.90 ,,
St. Giles South 1 ,, 46 = 21.61 ,,
St. Giles North 1 ,, 68 ,, = 14.59 ,,
Thus, it is clear, that at the prime of life the death-rate in St. Giles
South has been, during 1870, nearly double that of Blooms bury; whilst that
for St Giles North has been less than the mean for the District. This Summary
also explains why the death-rate for infants in St. Giles South should
be relatively low as compared with the total deaths. Two striking facts are
made clear by these Summaries, viz., first, the excessive death-rate among
infants in relation to births in St. Giles South; and secondly the excessive
death-rate among children and persons in the prime of life in the same subdistrict.
22. The following Table exhibits the comparative mortality of St. Giles
District in relation to the Metropolis. Our aggregate was 14 per cent. more
than its quota; and the particular classes of disease in which we more
especially exceeded our proportion were the “Constitutional," “Local," and
“Developmental." The Miasmatic Order closely corresponded with its
estimated quota, but tubercular diseases and diseases of the lungs were in
considerable excess. (See Table on page following.)
Small Pox. 23. The most remarkable circumstance during the year
has been the prevalence of an epidemic of small pox. At the commencement
of the year the mortality was light and variable ; but towards the month of
July it became steady at the highest number it had reached during the previous
26 weeks, and in the last quarter the disease raged with much severity,
the deaths numbering in the last week of the year 110. I need scarcely add