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8
During the year 208 confinements took place at the
Maternity Home, 50 more than in the previous year. It is
satisfactory to note, from the report of Dr. Miller, the lowmorbidity
in the cases. It is also gratifying to record the
fact that since the Home was opened, up to the end of 1924,
1.439 patients have been admitted. Many of the cases were
of a difficult nature, and although not one maternal death has
occurred in the Home, one can safely assume that the results
might have been different had the patient been forced to have
the confinement in her own home.
Injections Disease.—During the year under review we
were particularly fortunate in relation to infectious diseases.
For example, only 190 cases of diphtheria were notified, the
lowest recorded figure since 1905. The case mortality was
proportionately low, 5.2 per cent. Both the mortality rate
figure and the notification figure are the lowest since 1916. The
highest was in 1921, when 515 cases were notified, with a
mortality rate of 5.4 per cent. ; in 1920, 453 cases with a
mortality rate of 10.2 per cent.
Scarlet Fever also showed a decrease in comparison with
the previous year, 368 cases being notified, with a case mortality
of 1.3 per cent. The highest was in 1921, when 1,120 cases
were notified, with a case mortality of 0.4 per cent.
The Zymotic death-rate for the year, excluding Diarrhoea
and Enteritis, amounted to 0.24 per 1000, compared with 0.25
for 1923.
Xo cases of Small-Pox were notified, although on several
occasions I was called in consultation to doubtful cases, which,
fortunately, proved to be only Chicken-Pox.
Details of other infectious disease notifications are set
out in Table 3.
Housing.—There is continued evidence of the suffering
caused by the lack of housing accommodation for the working
classes. It is true that a good number of houses are being