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iii.
which occurred in connection with one of the local institutions, which illustrates very clearly
the dangers of "missed" cases, and, to some extent, by parity of reasoning, helps to explain
how scarlet fever became so rife in the Borough during the year. (See page 16.)
The mortality, both at all ages, and under one year of age, was again lower. To a
certain degree the continued shrinkage of the mortality affords some consolation for the
decrease in the birth-rate, but two considerations must be taken into account. First, there
must be of necessity a limit below which the death-rate cannot be reduced: and secondly,
the decrease in the birth-rate has progressed, and probably is still progressing, at a greater
rate than that of the mortality. Thus, between 1876—80 and 1901-05 the birth-rate per
1,000 living fell in the Metropolis from 35.55 to 28.17, while mortality decreased from
22.17 to 16.64. There was, therefore, a decrease amounting to 7.35 per 1,000 persons in the
former rate and one of 5.53 in the latter, involving a fall in the rate of natural increase of
1.82 per l,000 persons. What the lowest limit in the mortality may be cannot be foreseen,
but it is permissible to point out that much remains yet to be done in the direction of
reducing the mortality among infants and that from such diseases as measles, whooping
cough and phthisis, or, I may say, tuberculosis generally.
With regard to the first of these, it is satisfactory to record so substantial a reduction
last year. It is, however, feared that but a very small proportion of that reduction was due
to the operations of the Department. Climatic conditions were really the principal, but not
the only, causes. This is, I think, evident from the fact that, taking the meteorological
conditions into consideration, the diarrhœal mortality for the third quarter of the year
should have placed the year second in the list since 1899, whereas it was fifth (see page 38).
The Registrar-General in his last Annual Summary deals with this subject, his results
confirming to some extent those given in this Report.
In a group of nine years, between 1870 and 1905, when the Infantile mortality during the
third quarters ranged between 139 and 174 (with a mean of 160), the mean temperature of the
earth was 60.4°, and the mean rainfall 8.1 in. In a second group of eight years, the mortality
ranged from 177 to 196 (mean 188), the earth temperature was 61.3, and the rainfall 7.3 in. In
a third group of nineteen years the mortality varied from 205 to 279 (mean 226), the earth
temperature was 62.5 and the rainfall 5.9 in.
The concordance between earth temperature and infantile mortality is closer, according to
the Registrar-General's figures, than that noted for "diarrhoea." The inverse concordance
with rainfall is the same in the two cases. The mean air temperatures are not given by
the Registrar-General.
As regards administration, the past year has been uneventful. In a short time all the
houses at present within the purview of the By-laws relating to houses let in lodgings will be
on the Register, and it will be necessary to consider some amendment in the By-laws to
secure the registration of tenement houses which are at present exempt. Changes are going
on in the classes of the inhabitants of certain streets which make it very desirable that the
houses in such streets should be placed under the provisions of the By-laws which cannot be
done owing to the operation of the rent exemptions. I should much like to see the legal
designation of such houses changed. "Houses let in lodgings," the present designation,
creates a confusion with "common lodging houses," a confusion which offends landlords
and tenants equally.
It is scarcely necessary to urge the need of more frequent removal of house refuse,
at least during the warmer months. The resolutions on the subject which have been
adopted demonstrate that the importance of the subject to the occupants of flats and