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22
Charlton. Of the 59 deaths in East Greenwich, 58 were in
children under 5 years of age; of the 22 in West Greenwich, 19
were under 5 years; of the 12 in St. Nicholas, 11 were under 5
years, and of the 16 in Charlton, 15 were also under 5 years of
age; from which it will be seen how frequently this is a disease
becoming fatal in young children, and hence shews how great care
should be bestowed upon the feeding and clothing of young
children. This disease is the one credited with the largest proportion
of deaths, causing our increased Zymotic Death Rate as
compared with last year.
I have, on more than one occasion, indicated the necessity
for more frequent cleansing of the surfaces of the yards, courts,
and alleys in the poorer districts, together with a more thorough
flushing and cleansing of the drainage systems connected with this
class of property, and it seems to me that this suggestion received
a considerable amount of support, from the facts which we have
now before us, for, whereas during the year 1903, when the yards,
courts, alleys and drainage systems generally received a more
'
thorough cleansing by natural means, the total number of deaths
from this class of disease were very much smaller than during the
last year, when the natural flushing arrangements were considerably
more in abeyance. We find that the fatalities due to diseases
generally assumed to be connected with dirt and filth accumulations
in the neighbourhood of dwellings, and deficient flushing of
house drainage systems, such as Typhoid Fever and Diarrhoea,
have been materially increased during the past year, as compared
with the previous year.
Influenza. Influenza has occasioned 18 deaths throughout
the Borough during the year, comparing with 14 during the
previous year.