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brought into the world only six live to the age of one
year; and though this looks a very high mortality, it
contrasts favourably with the corresponding rate for the
whole of London, which was 164 per thousand births.
The greatest number of deaths were from Atrophy 147,
—Convulsions 109,—Bronchitis 74,—Pneumonia 84,
—Pertussis 64,—Tabes Mesenterica 51,—Premature
Birth 48,—Diarrhoea 40,—Suffocation 39.
DEATHS OF YOUNG CHILDREN.
( Under 5 years of agt.)
Out of the 2,951 deaths registered in this district,
1443—48.8 per cent., or very nearly half, were those of
young children under the age of five years.
Now, the deaths of young children are considered
by authorities to be a very good index of the sanitary
condition of a district; but, as pointed out in a leading
article in the Sanitary Record for December 20th, 1878
(which was a review of my last report), a death
rate calculated on the estimated population at all
ages is utterly unscientific and worthless. I have,
thereforo estimated a population of young children for
1878 in this district, and fix the number at 19,939.
The plan I have adopted in forming my estimate is
that recommended in the article previously referred to,
and is to assume that the proportion of young children
to persons older than five years remains the same that
it did when the census was taken in 1871, at which
time there were 18,142 children under five years,