Board of Health Mortality Report

Tuesday, January 10, 1871

The Board of Health issues its weekly mortality report.  Ninety-six Chicagoans died in the reporting period, which is 6 fewer than in the same week a year earlier, and 5 fewer than in the preceding week.  The deceased included 52 males and 44 females. Of these, 23 were under the age of one, which reflects the high infant mortality rate at the time.  The leading killers are pneumonia (12), consumption (11), convulsions (9), and croup (7).  The city health officer reports that in the last week he condemned 6 quarters of beef, 49 carcasses of mutton, 25 calves, and 3 hogs, most of these at a stock yard on Kinzie Street.