London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hackney 1860

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]

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9
The only exception to the diminished mortality from fever
occurred in 1859, when, as I pointed out in the Report for
that year, the excess was caused entirely by the bad sanitary
condition of Albert.street, Victoria.street, and Brook.street.
The next important feature is the excessively low mortality
from diarrhoea in 1860, which was a cold year, and the extremely
high mortality from the same disease in 1859, which was an
unusually hot year—the temperature during July, August, and
September, having been nearly 4 degrees above the average.
Scarlet fever also declined during 1860, and will probably cause
a still less number of deaths in the present year, whilst on the contrary,
measles was decidedly on the increase. It is well worthy of
remark, that small pox has caused only 8 deaths during the
last four years, whilst during the years 1855, 1856, there were no
less than 31 deaths. I would observe in connection with this
disease, that I was surprised to find, during my late inspection,
how large a proportion of the children attending the public
schools had been efficiently vaccinated.

table viii.

1860—Ages at Death.

Quarter.Under 1 Year.Between 1 and 20.Between 20 and 40Between 40 and 60.Between 00 and 80.Above 80.Total.Per Cent.
First10911061671073649031.8
Second66924842902436223 5
Third549240486717308200
Fourth691105254762138224.7
Totals298404201211330981542100
percent186019.326 213013.721.46.4100
185918 .925.113.514.521.36.7100
185824.422.413.514.320.15 3100

This Table is a very important one, as the death.rate and probable
duration of life of the inhabitants are calculated from it by
comparison with the number of residents. We perceive that
during the first year of life no less than 298 children died during
1860, or 19 3 per cent, of the whole, against 18.9 per cent, in 1859,
and 24.4 per cent, in 1858, and that the largest numbers died