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89
[1899
pointing out that the late Dr. Ballard, the first Medical Officer of
Health of your Parish, in writing on this subject in his classic
report to the Local Government Board, on Diarrhoea, says:—
" I may be permitted to add that I have satisfied myself as
regards public records of classified mortality, that though all deaths
certified in every one of the above ways be included with
'• Diarrhoea," nevertheless many other deaths directly due to that
disease may remain omitted from their proper class. This is
especially true of the deaths which are registered during the
epidemic season; but the remark applies almost solely to infants.
The hurry of extensive medical practice, especially in large and
manufacturing towns, results I fear in a good deal of hurried,
incomplete and unscientific certification of the cause of death in
infants; so that many diarrhoeal deaths during the epidemic season
get registered under 'atrophy,' 'marasmus,' 'want of breast milk,'
etc., which are sometimes antecedent conditions determining the
fatal issue; or under the terms 'convulsions,' 'hydrocephalus'
(meaning mostly, I presume, the 'hydrencephaloid disease' of some
writers), 'vomiting,' etc., which, like diarrhœa, are elements in the
condition of the patient met with at some period, often the final
period, of the malady."
If the deaths from Enteritis and its sub-divisions be added to
those from Diarrhœa we get a total of 494 deaths, which represent
a death-rate of 1.41 per 1,000 inhabitants. As, however, 473 of
these deaths occurred before the age of 5 years had been reached,
it will be useful to inquire as to the rate of mortality among these
children.

An examination as to the time of the year when these deaths
occur is both interesting and useful, and therefore I have arranged
the following figures in tabular form:—
G