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18
Small Pox having been very prevalent throughout the metropolis
during the preceding year, the deaths having risen from 247
in 1858, to 1156 in 1859, it was deemed desirable at the suggestion of
the Lords of the Privy Council to use every means to prevent the
ravages of that terrible disorder. Accordingly hand-bills were ordered
by the Vestry to be printed, and everywhere distributed, drawing
special attention to the importance of taking advantage of the protective
influence of vaccination. Notices of the same kind were also
circulated throughout the District by the Board of Guardians of the
Poor, and 2 extra vaccinators were appointed. In furtherance of
this object, I visited some of the public and private schools, and
examined the children to ascertain whether or not they had been
vaccinated; in this way, 986 children were examined.
19 cases of Small Pox were sent to the Small Pox Hospital,
but no deaths occurred among them.
Population.—The census having been taking this year, we
are now in a position to be able to determine accurately the relative
mortality of the District to the population, or the death-rate.
According to the census of 1851, there were 64,778 persons
living in the District, these being distributed through the sub-districts
as shown in the following table, which exhibits also the population
and its distribution in 1861, with the difference in the populations at
the two periods:—
Population in
1851.
1861.
Difference.
St. James
21,529
19,152
— 2,377
Amwell
15,720
17,250
x 1,530
Pentonville
11,904
13,079
x 1,175
Goswell
15,625
16,200
x 575
64,778
65,681
x 903
Thus it is seen that in St. James's Sub-district, there is a
diminution of 2377, whilst in each of the other sub-districts, there is
an increase—in all of 3280; when the diminution is subtracted from
the total increase, the true increase of 903 remains.
Hence the population has not increased to the extent which
was to have been expected; for during the ten years, 1851-61, 22,404
births took place in the entire District; the deaths tor the same
period amounting to 14,166, leaving a natural increase of 8238, 903
or about one-ninth only of which have remained in the District.
The results of the census showed also, that the number of inhabited
houses had diminished by 176; this diminution probably arises from
the houses forming the Street and Courts on the west side of Turnmill
Street having been pulled down in or about 1854.