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Measles. 31. The mortality (231) from this disease has been about the
average of preceding years. There was only 1 death in the last quarter of
the year, and only 2 in the first; the third or autumnal quarter was the most
fatal.
Scarlet Fever. 32. Our sanitary condition in respect of this disease has
not been so favourable this year as it was last. This year the deaths have
amounted to 103; last year they were only 48. Nevertheless we have had
only three more than our proportion (100) of the general mortality of London.
Whooping Cough. 33. Whooping cough has visited us lightly. Our
number (16) is just half of our quota (32). All the deaths from this disease
fell in the first and second quarters of the year.
Fevers. 34. The death-number (31) from tho diseases included in this
term, viz., typhus, enteric and simple continued fever, was much smaller
than last year, and smaller also than our proportion (35) of tho Metropolitan
aggregate.
Diarrhosa. 35. Our tribute to the general mortality from diarrhoea
shonld have been only 63; we actually rendered a death number of 83.
This disease is usually severe among us, on account of the excessive mortality
among children in the unwholesome houses of the poorer districts during
summer and autumn.
Deaths from Violence. 36. St. Giles is not peculiarly fertile in this class
of deaths. We have had 38, our proportion being 44. Other districts of
London, where great manufacturing works are carried on, or where docks and
shipping abound, produce a larger mortality from the various causes ranged
under this head.
Inquest Cases. 37. The number of inquests held in St. Giles district
during the year 1870, was 96, and about half of these were derived from
St. Giles South. Excluding those deaths which were found to be attributable
to ordinary disease, violence, or accident, there were 12 which were caused
by suffocation in led, 1 by suffocation in the mother's arms, 1 suffocation by
neglect, 1 wilful murder by suffocation, 1 drowned in urine; four others
were said to have died of convulsions. Here are, at least, 16 deaths of infants,
which are directly traceable, either to the culpable neglect or murderous
intent of their mothers or nurses.
38. Besides the foregoing, there were 17 deaths registered without
certificate; yet, in these cases, inquests were not held. Eour of these had
been attended by the medical officers of the Children's Hospital, and in some
instances, a statement had been made by them of the malady under which the
child had been suffering whilst under their treatment.
39. There were also 5 deaths in which a certificate of the cause of
death had been written “Unknown" ; yet, these cases too were registered.
A death of a woman 70 years of age, was attributed to a “Flaw in the
Chest," whatever that may mean, — I know not. If mis-written for
“blow in the chest," theu an inquest was imperative.
40. The following table represents the “Registered" mortality in each
quarter, in the three sub-districts, from zymotic diseases and from violence;
also inquest cases, and deaths in public institutions. (See Table V. next page.)
41. The whole number of zymotic diseases that occurred in St. Giles
in 1870, was 329, as may be seen in the Appendix; our population being
334. The diseases which exceeded their ratio, were scarlet fever and
diarrhoea.; the former in a trifling degree, the latter more remarkably.
Besides the 5 deaths recorded above from small pox, there were 11 more
that occurred in hospitals, as already explained (§ 26). See next page Table VI.
42. Tho death-rate for 1870, was below the average death-rate of the
ten preceding years. This was mainly due to the remarkably small rate for
St. Giles North; St. George Bloomsbury, having exceeded its rate in any