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continued during 1861, 1862, and 1863, twice 670, or 1340, ought to be added to the
population of the Census of 1861 (24,502), which would make the present number of
unhabitants amount to 25,842.
Secondly, if 520 deaths were registered between 25th March, 1862, and o5th
March, 1863, of those deaths, 16 were of persons not connected with Rotherhithe who
were killed by accident while working there, or whose bodies were cast ashore from the
Thames. These 16 ought to be deducted from the 520, leaving 504 as the true mortality
collating then the true mortality, 504, with the present population, 25,842, we get a
death rate of 19.5 in the 1000, a low mortality for a metropolitan parish, the death rate
of all London averaging between 22 and 23 in the 1000, and we are forced to conclude
that last year Rotherhithe was a very healthy locality.
The number of deaths registered from 25th March, 1861, to 25th March, 1862, was
4545,25 more than during the just elapsed year, so that were we to compare only these
two years, Rotherhithe presents the example of a decreasing mortality with an increasing
population.
The number of births last year, from March 25th, 1862 to March, 25th, 1863, was
859, namely, 401 males and 458 females, showing an increase of only nine births on the
preceding twelve months, from 25th March, 1861, to 25th March, 1862, 850 births.
The death register may be considered in regard to the seasons, the ages of the
persons who died, and the diseases to which they succumbed.
The most unhealthy period was the autumn of the year from 29th September to
25th December, 1862, when 149 deaths were registered. The healthiest period was
the winter quarter, from Christmas, 1862, to 25th March, 1863, during which only 105
persons died. From March 25th to June 24th, and from June 24th to September 29th,
128 and 138 deaths were respectively recorded.
In respect of age, 170 deaths, or not quite one-third of the whole number, were of
children under 2 years, 77 were between 2 and 5 years, making together 247, or
considerably less than half the whole mortality 520. The other numbers, according to the
ages, may be ascertained by inspection of the appended tabular arrangement.
The Zymotic diseases together destroyed 106 persons. Of these, 58, or half, were
carried off by scarlatina, 21 by measles, 13 by diarrhoea, 10 by whooping cough, 3 by
small pox, and one by diphtheria. This last disease has never yet been common in
Rotherhithe. Thus scarlatina alone was as fatal as all the other zymotic disease
united.
Fever caused 16 deaths, diseases of the respiratory organs 133: namely, 57 from
phthisis, 47 from bronchitis, 22 from pneumonia, 5 from croup and laryngitis, 2 from
angina pectoris, and 1 from phthisis laryngea.
Let me now leave this dreary catalogue of human misery, and turn to more
hopeful and cheering subject, that is, the work done by this Board for the purpose of
improving health, prolonging human life, and diminishing disease and death, which is
the end and aim of all sanitary legislation. Now the business of a Board of Health in