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grown old before they reach 65 years, an undue proportion of them
die, or are left so decrepit that when they have reached the latter age
they are unable in even larger proportions to struggle on to 75. The
death-rate of 72•24 as compared with 52•39 of the healthy districts,
and 64•85 of the country as a whole speaks for itself.
The mortality being so heavy at this period, it is only natural to
expect, when very old age is reached, that the high death-rate should
continue, and it is not surprising to find it very much above that of
the other death-rates I have selected for comparative purposes.
Still, it is gratifying to find in adolesence and in early and
matured manhood that the vitality of our inhabitants is so good.
Considering the conditions under which the population lives as to
business and occupation, the hurrying to and fro, and the restless
activity of commercial life, it becomes all the more necessary that the
homes of these people should be made as healthy as possible. Nothing
can be more regrettable than to see an undue proportion of our
people dropping off when they have only reached the prime of life,
at which period their minds should have reached their highest degree
of excellence, and when they should have commenced to amass, if they
have not already done so, wealth sufficient to support themselves and
their families in their declining days. It is difficult to assess at a
money value the loss of such lives to the commonweal, but it must be
very great, and, therefore, it behoves those who have the sanitary
charge of their surroundings to see that nothing is left undone to
preserve such valuable lives.
Our laws for the protection of health are far better than those of
other countries, but it is no matter how good they may be if there be not
a sufficient staff of capable sanitary experts to enforce them. There has
been of late years a great advance in the class of men who act as Sanitary
Inspectors, but great as the improvement has been, I have no hesitation
in saying that there is room yet for even greater improvement, and I
trust that the strong efforts that are now being made to raise their
educational status and their emoluments will be entirely successful. It
is only by doing so that the best men will be attracted to the Sanitary