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the lowness of death-rate which has lately prevailed cannot
be wholly attributed to improvement in health. And,
indeed, although the zymotic death-rate has not been high
(has been considerably lower, in fact, than the average for
the previous 10 years), neariy all such diseases were more
fatal in 1887 than in 1886. Thus, while in 1887 there were
only 9 deaths from Small pox and 672 from Fevers, as
against 24 and 701 deaths from these diseases respectively in
1886, Hooping-cough increased in mortality from 2,834 to
2,928, Measles from 2,078 to 2894, Diphtheria from 846 to
961, and Scarlet Fever from 688 to 1,447. Nevertheless,
there is no doubt that the year was really an unusually
healthy year.
The populations of London and its five groups of
districts, as determined at the Census of 1881, were as
follows:—
Table I.—Populations of London and of its Groups of Districts
at Census of 1881.
London
West D.
North D.
Central D.
East D.
South D.
3,816,483
669,633
905,947
282,238
692,738
1,265,927
The numbers have progressively increased since that
period, and according to the estimate of the Registrar-General
the population of the Metropolis amounted in the middle of
1887 to 4,215,182 persons, of whom 1,985,270 were males,
2,229,922 females. The estimated increase, therefore, in the
course of six years, was no less than 398,709.