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15
I have for the sake of comparison kept the infectious diseases
to the same list as in previous reports, for uniformity's sake, but
would point out that influenza, for many years a small factor in
our death rate, assumed a very important position in 1891, having
caused, next to whooping cough, the largest mortality of any.
Small pox seems to have quite disappeared, but I fear not for long,
whilst scarlet fever has decreased to a considerable extent, viz., to
28, against an average of 58. In spite of the outbreaks of diphtheria
and typhoid already mentioned, the number of deaths was
very slightly increased, whilst diarrhoea had decreased. There was
one death from typhus reported, which had only been three days
in the district when attacked, lived in a healthy, roomy house, and
certainly was not contracted here.
The most important sanitary event of the year was the severe
epidemic of influenza, which caused 141 deaths, against 31 in 1890.
There were some stray cases in the early part of the year, but no
deaths until April, when two deaths were registered during the
week ending April 25th. In the following week this number was
increased to 6, then to 15 in the week ending May 9th; to 13 in
the week ending the 16th; to 32 in the week ending May 23rd,
which was the largest number recorded for the year. The deaths
then decreased to 20 on the 30th; 12 on the 6th June; 11 on the
13th; 10 on the 20th, and 6 on the 27th June. After this there
were not more than 3 deaths recorded in any one week, and that
was for the 2nd of January, 1892.
The causation of influenza, or the influences which lead the
disease to fall on one part of the body rather than another, that is
to say, why it should cause chest affection in some, head disease in
others, is not known. I think it is highly infectious, spreading as
a rule from person to person, rather than through the atmosphere.
Although a very old disease, very little is known about it in former
years. This, however, is not the place to discuss the etiology of
influenza, and I therefore give a table of the deaths in the different
weeks of the year since April last.