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42
The great decrease in the incidence and mortality from zymotic
diarrhoea during 1912 was mainly due to the climatic conditions
prevailing in the summer, and forms a striking contrast to the
statistics relating to the same disease in the previous year, when
the climatic conditions prevailing during the summer of that year
were the reverse of those which were experienced in 1912. The
summer of 1911 will long be remembered as probably the hottest
and most prolonged in living memory, the temperature reaching
over 90 deg. F. on several days, and a high level of temperature
was maintained during the months of July, August, and September.
Very little rain fell during this period. As is well known, a hot
dry summer is invariably associated with a high incidence and
mortality from diarrhoea, especially amongst infants and very
young children. On the other hand the summer of 1912 was cold
and wet, and the meteorological conditions prevailing were unfavourable
to the spread of the disease.
The great decrease in the mortality from zymotic diarrhoea is
reflected in the associated decline in infant mortality. This is a
satisfactory feature of the year's morbidity and mortality statistics.
At the same time, as was shown in the annual report for 1911, it
is clear that while climatic conditions exercise a very important
influence on the prevalence of epidemic diarrhoea, these conditions
are capable of being combatted by such preventive measures as
those which the Council for the past few years have been so successfully
employing.
In addition to the 13 deaths registered from zymotic diarrhoea,
45 deaths were registered in the Borough from diarrhoea ascribed
to other causes. The total number of deaths in the Borough from
diarrhoeal diseases was therefore 58.
Tuberculosis.
During 1912, 233 deaths from tuberculosis were registered as
belonging to the Borough of Battersea. Of this number 190 (i.e.,
81 per cent.) were due to phthisis (tuberculosis of the lungs), 24
to tubercular meningitis, 6 to general tuberculosis, 5 to tubercular
disease of the intestines, and 8 to other forms of the disease. In
1911 the total number of deaths from tuberculosis was 289, and in
1910 252.