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including 93 cases of fever, or 3.1 per cent., or an average of 7 per week. The
fever cases appear to be very unequally distributed over the district. Thus, in
Mr. Champney's district, out of 455 cases of sickness, there are recorded 48 of fever,
or 105 per cent. In Mr. Richardson's district, out of 506 cases of illness, only
4 cases of fever are recorded, which is less than 1 per cent. In Mr. Blackwell's
district, out of 805 cases, there are 17 of fever, or 2.1 per cent. And in Mr. Sequeira's
district, out of 1,170 cases, there were 24 of fever, or 2 per cent. of the total number.
I cannot explain this great discrepancy in the returns of the fever cases, as
the deaths from fever in the registration districts bear a much more equal proportion
to the population than do the returns of the cases of fever, made by the Medical
Officers of the Union. It is possible that the cases of fever which are recorded in one
district are only severe cases, while in the other districts, all cases, whether mild or
severe, are recorded as fever. The same remark applies to the discrepancies that occur
in the cases of bronchitis and catarrh.
The deaths from fever in the several registration districts for the quarter ending
the 1st of April, are as follow, viz.:—In the Artillery district, no death from fever is
recorded; in the Spitalfields, the deaths from fever are 3; in the Mile End New
Town, they are 6; in the Whitechapel North, 4; in the Whitechapel Church, 4; in
the Goodman's Fields, 3; and in the Aldgate registration district, 2. During the last
three months, 53 inquests were held on persons dying within the district, the majority
of which were held at the London Hospital. The deaths of 14 persons were occasioned
by burns or scalds, 11 of which were in consequence of the clothes of the
parties catching fire. The ages of the sufferers will be seen on referring to Table
No. VIII. In one instance, it is stated that the clothes of the child caught fire from
the want of a fire-guard; two females, aged respectively 15 and 33, were burnt to
death at the fire in Whitechapel High Street, on the 12th of February last; in twentyfour
instances, death was occasioned by mechanical violence; two children were said
to have been accidentally suffocated in bed, but in neither instance was a post mortem
examination of the body made.
Among the records of the Coroner's Inquests held during the last quarter, are the
two following:—"Apparently drowned," and "Found dead in the River Thames;" no
post mortem examination was instituted in either case. In one instance, the following
verdict was returned:— "Sudden death while in the act of eating;" no further explanation
of the case is given.
There were seven deaths uncertified by any medical practitioner during the last
quarter; among which are recorded the following:—"Termination of lloodto the head"
male, aged 38. "Found dead in bed," a female, aged76. In neither of these cases
was an inquest held. In one of the uncertified cases, death is said to have been
caused by "ulceration of the bladder;" in another by "fever;" and, in three instances,
the death is registered as "convulsions." In some of the above mentioned cases, it would
have been better to have recorded that the cause of death was unknown.
As medical advice is so easily obtained in this district, there ought not to be any case
of death uncertified. The "Friendly Societies' Act," which was passed in 1855, requires,
before any money is paid, a certificate of the cause of death, in every instance, from a
qualified medical practitioner. This is a valuable provision for insuring skilful medical