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

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Hackney 1865

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]

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8
sub-districts. The per centages, therefore, in the next line
represent the mortality, less the deaths in the East London
Union and German Hospital. The per centages of deaths as
compared with the total mortality are as follows : 6.0 per cent.
in Stoke Newington, 5.3 per cent. in Stamford Hill, 24.0 per
cent. in West Hackney, 41.1 per cent. in Hackney, and 23.6
per cent. in South Hackney.
If we now turn to the table at the end of the Report, we
can ascertain the cause of, and age at, death of each person
registered during the year; and I shall first point out the
totals of the various groups. In the first group are included
all epidemic diseases. To prevent misunderstanding I will
mention that the term "zymotic or epidemic" diseases is used
in the Registrar General's classification to signify diseases
which can be propagated by contagion or infection, or which
are supposed to arise from some fermentative action in the
blood. I must say that I do not think many of the diseases
included in this group should be placed there. The next group
includes gout, cancer, dropsy, and mortification, and shows a
mortality of 77. Tubercular diseases caused 397 deaths, brain
diseases 261, heart affections 107, lung diseases 351, affections
of the abdominal organs 81, premature birth and debility 73,
old age 167, and atrophy 46. There were also 70 deaths from
accidents and suicide, and 3 from murder and manslaughter.
The next table shows the per centages which these classes of
deaths bear to each other during 9 years. From this we see
that epidemic diseases have been proportionably less fatal in
1865 than in 1858, 1859, 1862, and 1863. This is very satisfactory
considering the outbreak of Fever at the Orphan
Asylum.