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62
The zymotic diseases occurring in extra parochial hospitals
of inhabitants of Clerkenwell amounted to 26, viz.: 19 from
small pox; 1 from scarlet fever; 2 from diphtheria; 3 from
typhoid fever; and 1 from diarrhoea.
The number of deaths arising from small pox was 25. 122
cases occurred in the parish in the year, 97 of which were
removed to the Asylums Board hospitals. Many of our cases
occurred in the upper part of the parish, I fear from proximity
to the parish of Islington, in which the disease very largely prevailed;
the number of deaths being 134. I need scarcely say
that none of these deaths should have occurred. If every one
was vaccinated in infancy, and re-vaccinated at 14 years of age,
no deaths from this foul disease would be heard of. It is
interesting to notice that in consequence of the care taken in
regard to vaccination, the younger members of the population
comparatively escape, while the older ones suffer from this
disease. Thus in the Metropolis, where the total number of
deaths was 899, the deaths under 1 year were 116; between 1
and 5, 101; between 5 and 20, 213; between 20 and 40, 339;
between 40 and 60, 102; between 60 and 80, 26; and above
80,1.
But the epidemic we had in 1885 was indeed small compared
with that in 1871, when the number of deaths in the Metropolis
was 7,912.
The deaths from measles were considerably more numerous
than they had been for several years past. This, like the other
infectious diseases, is spread by the admixture of mild cases of
the disease among healthy children, through the carelessness of
the parents. It is mostly an infantile disease, for of 2,928
deaths in the metropolis, 571 occurred in infants under 1 year of
age; 2,145 between 1 and 5; 204 between 1 and 20; 6 between
20 and 40; 1 between 40 and 60; and 1 between 60 and 80.
In this parish 26 deaths occurred in the St. James District; 19
in the Amwell; 14 in the Pentonville; and 28 in the Goswell