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rate of deaths amongst children under 1 year old was less
during 1862 than in any year since I have been Medical Officer
of Health to this District, having been only 172 in 1000, whilst
in 1861 it was 188, in 1860 it was 193, in 1859 it was 189, in
1858 it was 244, and in 1857 224 in each 1000 deaths of all
ages. This is very satisfactory, as sanitary measures affect the
youngest first, for they are more constantly exposed to, and
more susceptible of, those causes which lead to an increased
mortality in a given population. The ratio of deaths also between
60 and 80 has increased, pointing out as well as the diminished
mortality of infants, that the general health of the inhabitants
of Hackney District has decidedly improved since 1856.
As before stated, the 1789 deaths include 204 which occurred
in the German Hospital and East London Union. These according
to the plan hitherto followed have to be eliminated in
calculating the average age at death of the inhabitants. There
were 11 deaths of children under 1 year old, 25 deaths of young
persons between 1 and 20 years of age, 51 of these between 20
and 40 years old, 51 between 40 and 60 years old, 57 of persons
between 60 and 80 years old, and 9 of these who were more than
80 years of age. After deducting those, the average age at
death of the residents, was 33 years, 11 months, and 9 days.
As the number of persons residing in the District on April
1st, 1861, was 83,295, and as the population increased between
1851 and 1861 at about the rate of 4 per cent, per annum, the
population on July 1st, 1862, being the middle day of the year,
would be about 87,492. Now as the number of deaths of residents
was 1544, it follows that there were 10 deaths in each 579
inhabitants, or at the rate of 1"73 per cent. This is the smallest
rate of mortality ever registered in the Hackney District. The
death rate in the Northern Districts of the Metropolis was
smaller than in any other of the great divisions of London,
having been 2196 percent. This included the addition of a