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16
It will be seen from the preceding table that during the past
five years 28 children have died of Whooping Cough and Measles.
Some of them would probably have recovered if suitable Hospital
accommodation had been available and I now hope, that in the
near future, when our new Ward at the Isolation Hospital is opened,
that we shall be able to deal with such illnesses. The public are
far too apt to look upon these two ailments as trivial childish
occurrences, but occasionally they become very serious indeed,
when the lack of proper nursing care and insufficient housing are
taken into consideration. It is just as desirable that Measles and
Whooping Cough should be combated with the same energy as that
taken in the case of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria.
It will also be noticed that in 1925 no deaths occurred from
Enteric Fever, Smallpox or Scarlet Fever and that during the past
five years there were none resulting from Enteric or Typhoid Fever
or Smallpox.
The following table is intended to show that the expectancy of
life at the present time has increased over that of, say 20 years
ago. In 1905 the percentage of deaths of persons over 65 years of
age was 24.59 while for 1925 it was 46.35 as compared with the total
number of deaths at all ages; thus nearly half the number of deaths
during 1925 occurred over the age of 65 years, whereas in 1905 only
barely a quarter. I think these figures are the most notable item