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fatality. The time will no doubt arise when all communicable
diseases will be notified to those charged with the care
of the public health, and in other countries, notably Italy,
this is being to a large extent carried out.
Table XIII. is most interesting from the sanitarians point
of view. It shews that these diseases instead of increasing with
the population, which has increased more than 43 per cent.
during the period included in the table, tend to diminish both
relatively and absolutely. This bears out the experience of all
communities, that proper drainage and other efficient methods
of sanitation not only affect the zymotic diseases but those
which are usually regarded as not being in that category. Thus
in well drained towns the deaths from tubercular phthisis have
been found to diminish by something like one half after the
provision of proper and effective drainage compared with the
antecedent periods. This seems to point out the fact that all
these diseases depend upon their surroundings or environments,
even in cases such as cancer which would seem to be least
liable to be so affected, it is shewn that a considerable and
constant increase of such diseases as compared with other
localities, is found in the case of damp or water-logged soils.
But for the continued high rate of mortality from diseases of the
respiratory organs adversely influenced by the constantly recurrent
epidemics of influenza, a great diminution of deaths of
this class would have been shewn. The premature births also
continue to increase in numbers in proportion to the increase in
population.
Inquests. During the year 1894, 224 cases came under the
notice of the Coroner. Sixteen of these were cases in
which he decided that no further inquiry was necessary, and
they are marked in the Registrar's Returns as "submitted to
Coroner," which is considered sufficient to authorise
registration."
In the other 208 cases inquests were held with the following
results, as given in the verdicts of the respective juries:—