View report page

20
Sickness and Mortality amongst the Parochial Poor.—
The facts Indicating the greatly improved condition of the
health of the Sub-district during the past year, as disclosed
by an examination of the Table of General Mortality, are
fully corroborated by Table V. Appendix, in which are
contained the nature, amount and fatality of disease which
prevailed amongst the parochial poor during the period.
The total amount of sickness and its resulting mortality
which occurred amongst them were about one fourth less
than the average of the preceding three years, while the
amount of epidemic disease was less by one half, and its
attendant fatality less by three fourths, than a similar
average. An approximate estimate of the amount of
sickness which prevailed generally throughout the parish
during the year, may be furnished by assuming the
proportion which the deaths bear to the cases of sickness
amongst the poor, as the proportion which the total deaths
bear to the total cases of sickness which occurred. By
such calculation it is found that the total cases of sickness
will have corresponded with about 56 per cent of the
population ; the average of the preceding ten years, by a
similar calculation, having been about 67 per cent.
Sanitary Proceedings.—A summary of the general
sanitary proceedings which have been carried out during
the past year is contained in Table VI. in the Appendix.
It is satisfactory to see that they were all conducted
without the necessity for any intervention of the law.
The purification and disinfection of houses, in which the
presence of contagious diseases had rendered such proceedings
necessary, were employed in the usual manner. All
the slaughter-houses and the cow-houses in the parish
were, as usual, examined and specially reported on as
possessing the necessary sanitary requirements, previous to
a renewal of their owners' licences. Several nuisances