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medical practitioners to promote vaccination among all classes, it is apparent from the
notes of the local registrars of deaths, and from the remarks of the medical officers of
the union, that vaccination is not universally practised
During the quarter, six cases of suicide occurred; two persons put a period to their existence
by hanging; two died from self-inflicted wounds of the throat, two destroyed themselves
by taking poison, one of them by laudanum, and the other by corrosive sublimate
A man killed himself by drinking raw spirits in excess A case of manslaughter is recorded
Among the records of death is that of a child having died from the effects of a scald of
the glottis from drinking boiling water from a tea kettle A case of death in the London
Hospital is thus recorded by a Coroner's jury:—"Diphtheria, caused by severe burns"
A man, aged 45, died from inflammation of the lungs, caused by severe injury from the
falling of a log of wood on his fingers A death is recorded to have occurred from exhaustion,
caused by destitution Erysipelas, occurring after vaccination, is said to have
caused the death of a child six months old The number of inquests held during the
quarter is 56, of which, 28 were held on persons dying in the London Hospital Several
cases of sudden death, occasioned by natural causes, have very properly been made the
subject of medico-legal inquiry; but the majority of the deaths on which inquests have
been held was on those which were caused by violence
The deaths in the workhouse during the quarter are 61, and in the London Hospital
89 In the former-named institution, four deaths from fever occurred; and in the latter,
five; of which number two were of non-residents
The cases of illness attended by the medical officers of the union were 3,489, exclusive
of 527 cases in the workhouse Of these latter, Mr Champneys attended 234, and
Mr Richardson 293 The cases of fever have been very numerous, both in and out of the
workhouse, 42 having been treated in the workhouse, and 62 among the out-door poor,
besides 267 cases of febricula or slight fever Some of these terminated in fever of
a serious form: several of the cases of fever, however, which were at first seen as out-door
cases, were subsequently admitted into the workhouse, and are therefore recorded twice
It is with a feeling of deep regret that I have to announce the prevalence of fever in
this district; although fewer deaths from this disease occurred in this district during the
year 1861 than in any previous year; yet, in the last quarter they amounted to 27, which
is 16 above that of the corresponding quarter of the previous year Fever is at present
principally confined to the localities of the poor; a few instances, however, of persons in
easy circumstances have died from its effects For the week ending January 25th, five
deaths from fever occurred in the workhouse; and the cases, both in and out of the workhouse,
still continue to be very numerous The disease is nevertheless of comparatively
trifling extent, if we compare the present number of its victims with that in the year
ending Lady-day, 1838; when out of a total of 5,312 pauper cases of sickness, 2,134, or
nearly one-half, were cases of fever In this number there were included all cases of
the disease, whether they were of a mild or severe nature Of these cases 214* died,
82 were sent to the Fever Hospital, and at the time of making up the return, 107 were
under treatment It appears from the return furnished by the late Mr John Smith,
that the extra expense incurred by the union for fever cases alone, was estimated to
have been £400 for one quarter of the year only Those members of the Board who can
recollect what was the general sanitary condition of the district about 24 years ago, and
more especially the condition of the houses of the poor as regards their filthy and overcrowded
state, together with the dirty state of the courts and alleys, and the almost total
absence of draina ge in these places, and will compare the sanitary state of the district at
that time with that which now exists, cannot fail to notice that a vkst improvement has
taken place Although, in order to effect this improvement, large sums of money have
been expended, yet the result of the outlay has been most advantageous to the poor, as is
evident not only from the diminished rate of mortality among them, but also from the less
protracted period of sickness and convalescence of those who recover The benefit of
these improvements has not been confined to the poorer classes, but is shared by the
rate-payers, who are not now called upon to expend so much of the rates in supplying
additional assistance to the sick poor, and in providing for the increased number of
widows and orphans, which a severe epidemic of fever always occasions If the sanitary
condition of the district had not been improved, it is highly probable that the present
epidemic of fever would have been as severe as it was in 1838
* This number does not include all the deaths from fever which occurrcd in the Union, but those only which
occurred amongst the pauper population