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The mortality in the workhouses is also considerably less; the deaths for the
quarter ending June, 1856, were 95; and for the same quarter of the current year,
56, showing a difference of 39 in favor of the quarter recently terminated.
The cases of death not certified were 14 in number; 4 were uncertified in the
Aldgate Registration District; 4 in the Spitalfields; 4 in the Whitechapel, North; 1
in the Mile End New Town; and 1 in the Goodman's Fields. Some of these cases
are, however, recorded under the heads of those diseases which were supposed to be
the cause of death. The cases "not specified" are such as "found dead,"
"natural death" "debilitas," under which latter term is recorded the death of a
youth, aged 18, in the London Hospital. In the Artillery District, a case of death
is thus registered—"natural decay, accelerated by neglect, filth, and imperfect
" nutrition."
Inquests were held on 57 persons, 7 of whom were cases of suicide, 7 were
returned as cases of "natural death:" in 3 cases, the verdict was "found dead,"
in 1, the verdict was "manslaughter," in .1 case (a female), which I have classed
under the head of " Intemperance," the verdict was " accidentally suffocated while
"tiding in a cab in a state of intoxication;" 1 inserted in the column headed
"Hanging," was a lad, aged 14, "accidentally strangled by his neckerchief being
"fixed in the spindle of a crane;" 1 in the column headed "Violence," was a man,
aged 39, " accidentally killed from the fall of sugar caused by the breaking of a
"sling chain." In the case just recorded, it would have been desirable if the local
registrar had stated the premises where the accident occurred. The cases
in the column headed " Burns and Scalds," are principally children who were
accidentally burnt by their clothes taking fire—an accident which might easily be
prevented by parents dressing their children in uninflammable materials. In the same
column is recorded the death of a child in consequence of its drinking hot water from
a tea kettle. This accident is of frequent occurrence, and arises from the foolish
practice of giving cold drink to children out of a tea-pot or tea-kettle; the poor children
being unable to discriminate whether the vessel contains hot or cold water.
There are 2 cases of suicide by poison, to which I think it right to call your
attention, with the view of pointing out the danger to which persons are exposed by
the indiscriminate sale of poisons. One of these cases was a woman who poisoned
herself by laudanum; the other was a man who, in a temporary state of insanity,
took a quantity of arsenic, which he purchased at a druggist's shop in this district.
The jury in this instance appended to their verdict a strong condemnation of the
druggist, "in selling arsenic contrary to the act."
The case in the column headed " Starvation," is a man, aged 45, who at the
time of his death resided in North East Passage, St. George's in the East, and
evidently registered by mistake in the Aldgate District. The jury, in this instance,
recorded the following verdict— "starvation, not having made known his destitution
from his eccentric character." I have, of course, excluded this case from the mortality
returns of your district.
In calculating the mortality for the last quarter I have deducted from the total