The Annual Report on the Health of the Parish of St. Mary Abbotts, Kensington, during the year 1874

by T. Orme Dudfield

Common Gas.

Results of the Daily Testings of the Gas supplied by the Gas Light and Coke Company to the Testing Station at 123, Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, during the months of October, November, and December, 1874.

October.
	Illuminating Power in Standard Sperm Candles.	Amount ofImpurity.
		Sulphuretted Hydrogen.	Ammonia per 100 feet, grains.	Sulphur per 100 feet, grains.
1	17.3	None	0.8	16.5
2	16.7	„	0.2	18.1
3	16.6	„	0.3	16.2
5	16.4	„	0.2	15.3
6	16.6	„	0.1	13.2
7	16.4	„	0.2	14.1
8	16.3	„	0.0	17.0
9	16.5	„	1.0	16.1
10	16.3	„	0.5	15.6
12	16.3	„	0.4	16.1
13	16.1	„	0.2	16.2
14	16.3	„	0.0	17.1
15	16.7	„	0.0	17.2
16	16.6	„	0.0	17.3
17	Not received
19	16.6	„	0.0	17.5
20	15.5	„	0.0	17.4
21	16.2	„	0.6	15.7
22	16.5	„	0.4	15.7
23	16.4	„	0.0	16.2
24	16.4	„	0.0	15.8
26	17.8	traces	0.0	15.4
27	17.4	much	0.0	15.3
28	16.8	trace	0.0	18.4
29	16.3	None	0.0	18.2
30	16.4	„	0.0	18.2
31	16.3	„	0.0	17.8
Mean	16.53	prsnt. three times.	0.19	16.44
November.
2	16.3	None	None	17.6
3	16.9	„	„	17.5
4	16.9	„	„	17.5
5	16.7	„	„	17.3
6	16.8	„	„	16.5
7	16.1	„	„	17.3
9	16.7	„	„	18.1
10	16.8	„	„	14.5
11	16.7	„	0.4	15.5
12	Not received
13	16.7	„	0.4	15.0
14	16.6	„	None	16.0
16	16.6	„	„	14.4
17	16.5	„	1.0	18.3
18	17.7	„	0.8	19.1
19	17.3	„	0.6	...
20	16.7	„	None	18.8
21	16.2	„	„	18.8
23	16.1	„	1.0	16.7
24	16.4	„	None	16.7
25	16.6	„	„	16.5
26	16.6	„	„	...
27	16.5	„,	0.3	...
28	16.9	„	0.0	16.9
30	16.7	„	0.0	18.4
Mean	16.67	„	0.19	17.02
December.
1	18.2	None	None	15.9
2	17.1	„	„	16.8
3	17.1	„	„	16.8
4	16.4	„	„	16.1
5	17.0	„	„	16.0
7	16.5	„	„	19.4
8	17.0	„	„	19.5
9	16.7	„	„	19.1
10	15.8	prsnt.	„	18.2
11	17.4	do.	0.4	22.0
12	17.2	trace	None	22.1
14	16.6	None	„	24.0
15	17.0	„	„	22.1
16	16.6	„	„	15.9
17	16.5	„	...	16.2
18	16.5	„	...	16.1
19	16.5	„	...	16.3
21	15.9	„	„	16.6
22	16.4	„	„	22.4
23	16.5	„	„	...
24	17.2	„	„	22.2
25	...	...	...	...
26	...	...	...	...
28	16.6	„	„	22.3
29	16.7	„	„	...
30	16.0	„	„	20.5
31	15.8	„	„	20.7
Mean	16.68	prsnt. three times	„	19.01

FOOTNOTES.

[6a] The “Kensington” Registration District, by which most persons understand the parish of Kensington, really comprises a much larger area, embracing within its limits the whole of Paddington, Hammersmith, and Fulham. The subjoined table shows the proportion which Kensington proper bears to the other parts of the district.

	Area in statute acres.	Inhabited houses, 1871.	Population, 1871.
Kensington	2,190	15,735	120,299
Paddington	1,251	11,847	96,813
Hammersmith	2,287	6,719	42,691
Fulham	1,716	3,469	23,350

[6b] The subjoined table shows the area, inhabited houses, and population of the three wards into which the parish is divided for parochial purposes:

Name of Ward.	Area in statute acres.	Inhabited houses, 1871.	Population, 1871.	Rateable annual value of property, 1871.
Holy Trinity, Brompton.	439	3,224	22,128	£246,716
St. John, Notting Hill, and St. James, Norland.	905	7,730	62,475	£365,012
St. Mary Abbott’s.	846	4,781	35,696	£323,992
	2,190	15,735	120,299	£935,720

[7] The births that took place in the Workhouse are all included in the Town registration, but the number (120) is too small to affect the calculation.

[11] P.S.—(August.)—It may be mentioned that no new facts came out subsequently either to strengthen or to weaken the suspicion above stated of milk being the carrier of the scarlatinal poison—beyond this, that there were several cases of the disease in another parish in which the dairy is situated, and in families supplied from the dairy. It may be added that the Kensington cases, which were remarkable for the suddenness with which the attack followed on the application of the supposed cause, all did well. They ran the usual course, and were followed by very free desquamation. There were no derivative cases. A similar outbreak was reported subsequently also within a few days after a dinner party at West Brompton. In this case, however, so far as I can gather—for I received little direct information on the subject—though the idea of a common cause of disease, as in the previous outbreak, was suggested, absolutely nothing could be traced to support the suspicion of milk-poisoning, for the dairy—several miles from Town—was found to be in an unimpeachable condition, and no sickness was discovered in the employés or their families, or at the London depôt. A very small quantity of cream appeared to have been consumed, the actual supply on the day in question being one shilling’s worth. For the present the bare facts of these cases can be simply stored for future use; and with the inferences which have been sought to be drawn from them must be taken quantum valeant.