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Saint James, Westminster, a mortality in the workhouse
of 130 in 1888, and 140 in 1869. I may
add that I recently inspected the workhouse, and,
whilst I found everything scrupulously clean, I found
some of the wards so constructed as to render ventilation
deficient, and other wards with so many
patients as to render it desirable that they should
as soon as possible be diminished.
Death Rate of the Parish.
The mortality of 740 in a population of 35,326,
gives a death-rate of 20'50 in the thousand. This
must be regarded as a very favourable rate contrasted
with the whole of the metropolis, and of
particular districts of London. The mortality of
London was, according to the Registrar-General's
returns, 24.66 in the thousand, so that in spite of
some disadvantages, Saint James, Westminster,
may be regarded as a healthy locality. This deathrate
is however largely increased by the fact that
our birth-rate is high ; thus, in 1870 the births in
the parish amounted to 884 shewing that the birthrate
is much higher than the death-rate. Although
there can be no doubt that the number of deaths in
a parish does indicate really the amount of death in
the parish, there may be various circumstances in
the population of a parish which influence this
death-rate, and the birth of children is one, for we