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

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Hackney 1863

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]

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class was considerably in excess, chiefly from the
immense increase in the number of deaths from smallpox,
scarlet fever, and diphtheria. Class 2, or diseases
of uncertain seat were below the average, 85 only having
been registered. In class 3, which includes consumption
and strumous diseases generally, viz: water in the
head and mesenteric disease. 299 deaths were registered,
which was a smaller number than usual, having
been only 15.5. In the next class, which embraces
inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and their
coverings, apoplexy, paralysis, St. Vitus's dance,
epilepsy, insanity, and nervous diseases generally. An
excess of mortality is again decidedly marked, 255
deaths, or 13.2 per cent. of the whole having been
registered. This is, with two exceptions, the largest
rate of death from these diseases in any year since my
appointment, and would of course have been larger
still if the mortality from epidemic diseases had been of
its usual amount. Diseases of the heart and vessels
show a diminution, as 4.3 per cent. only was registered.
Affections of the lungs caused death in 283 persons, or
at the rate of l4.6 per cent. of the whole: this was a
low rate. The deaths from the diseases included in
classes 1, 3, 4, and 6, were no less than 1294 or 67.0 of
the deaths from all causes. This was in excess of 18G2,
when they were 64.5 per cent.; and of 1861, when they
were 65.6 per cent. Diseases of the digestive organs
were fatal to 112 persons; old age, to 119 persons, or
6.2 per cent; and 70 deaths from accidents and