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7
of the foci of communication. Every endeavour should therefore be made
by the public vaccinators to extend vaccination among all classes.
The deaths recorded from hereditary syphilis are 4, but this number does
not represent the total deaths from this disease, for all the children who die
from this disease are not so registered. Such deaths are frequently recorded
under the name of some other disease, such as convulsions, etc. A more correct
return of deaths from hereditary syphilis would be obtained if medical men
always forwarded direct to the local registrar the certificate of death instead
of giving it to the parent or guardian of the deceased child. It may be fairly
estimated that upwards of 2,000 persons in England and Wales die annually
from syphilis (the precise number recorded in 1861 is 1,177); it is also the
cause of many children being still-born. There is scarcely room to doubt
that this loathsome disease (syphilis) might be greatly mitigated, if not
entirelyprevented, by legislative measures. But this is a subject which the public
generally are unwilling to discuss. Nevertheless, if the extent of the evil were
fully known, as is shown not only by the records of medical practitioners
stating the amount of sacrifice of the health and lives of the innocent children
who are the offspring of diseased parents but by the enormous expense which is
entailed upon the public by the prevalence of this disease among the poor and
in our army and navy (the military and naval hospitals always containing a
very large number of patients suffering from this disease, thereby incapacitating
our soldiers and sailors from effective service) it is not improbable that
the subject would receive more attention from the public.
The deaths from "teething" are 23. There surely must be some mistake
in attributing so many deaths to this cause. Nature does not perform her
work in so imperfect a manner as to cause the death of 3 per cent, of all the
births. Improper food, the want of fresh air, and general neglect, are the
most frequent causes of the death of young children, and not the natural
operation of "teething." A female, aged 28. died from lead poisoning. A
child, aged 16 days, died from compression of the chest by the use of tight
bandages; and a man, aged 78, died from gangrene of the foot occasioned by
a cab running over it. An inquest was not held on either of these cases.
Twelve deaths were uncertified. One of these uncertified deaths was that
of a child, aged 5 months, whose death is thus recorded, " ill from birth,
natural causes;" another, of a boy, aged 9 years, "rheumatism and disease of
the heart." There are two of these uncertified deaths recorded as having
been caused by consumption, one by diarrhoea, and the others by convulsions.
The number of inquests was 72 against 69 for the corresponding quarter of
last year. Of these 44 were held in the London Hospital. The records of