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8
cases of notifiable diseases and the notification rate, with the actual
number of deaths from zymotic diseases are also given. The table
covers a period of 55 weeks. It will be seen that the second half of
the year was by far the healthiest, while the occurrence of only 15
cases of zymotic deaths from the beginning of September to the
middle of December speaks volumes for the parish from a health
point of view. The highest death rate was in February, following
with May, December and March. The highest zymotic death rate
was in May, when it reached the abnormal figure of 11.3 owing to
the prevalence of measles and whooping cough. The facts are dealt
with under those heads. The highest zymotic death rate in August
of 5.7 was due to the prevalence of diarrhœa, which in the 4 weeks
ending August 24th was responsible for 12 deaths. Naturally the
hot weather experienced during this period, as can be seen from the
mean readings of the thermometer in Death chart, may be regarded as
the primary and unavoidable cause. In the latter half of the year
the Bow zymotic death rate compares very favourably with that
for London generally.
In regard to zymotic diseases, which it is the chief function of the local
Sanitary Authority to lessen, 1896 does not stand out so favourably.
ZYMOTIC
DISEASES.
There have been no deaths from smallpox or typhus
fever, nor even any notification of the latter, yet the
number of deaths from zymotic diseases was in 1893,
181; 1894, 159; 1895, 117, and in 1896 the number increased to
164. The zymotic death rate was 3.8 as against 2.8 in 1895, and
3.8 in 1894.
With the exception of simple cholera, measles and whooping cough,
there was a decrease in all the zymotic diseases over 1895 amounting
to 17 in all. In whooping cough there was an increase of 12, in
measles 31, and cholera 1. The fatality of the two first named
diseases is the one blot on the year's record. Only once during the
year did the zymotic death rate reach a figure which could cause
apprehension, and then the rise was due to measles nnd whooping