What is the author's style in London Labour and the London Poor by Henry Mayhew?

Mayhew's attempts at categorization reflect the Victorian mania for classification, which is evident in a rush to list and name every type of flower, insect, animal and mineral on earth. London Labour and the London Poor attempts to continue this spirit of scientific inquiry with regard to the impoverished residents of London. This can be viewed as one of the first attempts at Sociology, a scientific study of a human society. It can also be viewed as dehumanizing the individuals studied, reducing them to the status of beetles or rocks.