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51
Of the 74 cases notified, as many as 67 were removed to hospital,
with 7 deaths, a mortality of 10.4 per cent.
7 cases were treated at home, with 4 deaths, a mortality of 57.0
per cent.
The percentage of cases removed to hospital to the total number
notified was 90.5.
Cause of the disease:—
Nine cases occurred in persons after eating mussels, and where no
other food taken was in any way suspected. A group of six cases
occurred in Aylesbury Street. The first case was the father who fell ill
shortly after relaying a very offensive school drain. His wife and four
children subsequently sickened, four with Enteric Fever, and one, a
daughter, with severe diarrhæa only. Two children of two other families
in the same street fell with the complaint;, and for some time it was
difficult to connect the cases as any intercourse between the persons
affected was stoutly denied. It was found out on persistent enquiry that
the daughter of the first family attacked, who had severe diarrhea, had
visited the second and third families, and must have infected them. In
four cases cockles were strongly suspected in the absence of any other
apparent cause.
In nine cases a previous case in the house was most likely the cause.
DIARRHAEA.
The deaths during the year from this disease were 383, as against 282,
197, 169 and 222 for the four preceding years.
This is an important decline, which I hope was largely due to more
of our mothers breast.feeding their children. During the last few years
we have flooded the district with literature urging upon mothers the
necessity of such a practice We have also made personal visits to see if
the infants were thriving. All this work. I feel, must have had some
considerable effect in calling for more care in regard to infant life.
Enquiry during the year was made at the end of the first three months
of infant life in many thousand births, and it was found that 81.8 per
cent, were breast.fed, 11.0 per cent, were partly breast.fed and partly
hand.fed, and that 6.4 per cent, were entirely hand.fed. This shows a
great improvement on the state of affairs which existed ten years ago.
The Municipal Milk Depot question does not find much encouragement
from the Council of this Borough.
The annual rate per 1,000 living was 0.88.