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46
Medical Officers of Health Annual Report.
ought not to be allowed to go on without some steps
being taken to check it. It is unfortunate that there is
no possibility of hospital treatment even for the worst
cases of measles; as a rule very small attempts at isolation
are usually considered sufficient.
Whooping Cough.
There were eight deaths only, a considerably
smaller number than in any of the last ten years.
Diarrhoea.
As was to be expected from the hot summer
of 1895, this is a more prominent cause of death than
in most years. There were 41 deaths referred to this
cause, a number not equalled for many years. The decennial
average is 19,
Influenza.
This disease again became epidemic in the
early part of the year, reaching its maximum after the
break up of the long frost in March. No less than 37
deaths were referred to it, a greater number than in any
year since it became epidemic. The deaths were all due
to complications, mainly lung diseases, and the mortality
from this cause was nearly confined to old persons. The
feature of the outbreak in 1895 was its explosive character,
rising quickly to its full height, only lasting a few
weeks. Probably the genial spring weather, that set in
early last year, determined the epidemic sooner than
might otherwise have been the case.