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Diphtheria appears to hare become an established disease amongst us like
measles or scarlet fever. Thirty-five deaths, 22 of children under 5 years of age, were
referred to it. This, however, seems to be some improvement upon former years.
b. Constitutional Diseases.
9. Five hundred and twenty-three deaths are referred in Table I. to this class of
diseases. The most important and definite malady it embraces is pulmonary consumption.
To this 313 deaths have been attributed; the mean of four previous years
being 305. The total number, and that of the deaths in each Sub-district, is nearly
the same as in 1858.
c. Local Diseases.
10. To the so-called local diseases 1218 deaths were attributed. Diseases of the
organs of respiration carried off 622, or more than half of these persons. So high a
mortality from these maladies has not occurred during the previous four years, the
numbers being 392, 422, 494, and 375. Stated, in periods of 13 weeks each, from
January 1 to December 29, the deaths in each quarter were—
1st quarter 251, the mean of four years being 143
2nd ditto 127, ditto ditto 87
3rd ditto 60, ditto ditto 48
4th ditto 174, ditto ditto 141
Of these deaths 338 were under 5 years of age, giving an increase of infant deaths for
this over the former years of 77 from these diseases. It is thus that the cold and wet
weather we experienced made up to us the mortality which a hot summer would have
brought about in another way.
d. Developmental Diseases.
11. Among the 354 deaths tabulated thus, we find those of 128 infants (107 of whom
were under 1 year of age), attributed to " atrophy and debility." The deaths of 62
are said to be due to their having been born prematurely. A glaring defect in our
system of birth registration prevents us from either knowing or investigating the
number of children said to be " still-born."
e. Violent Deaths.
12. Of these there were 72. Forty-three are attributed to accidence or negligence,
10 to suicide, and 12 were held to be the result of premeditated violence—they were
murdered persons. True, they were infants that were murdered, but the little insight
even thus afforded us into the gulf of crime of which these murders are the last and
deepest products, should induce reflection. While considering this class of deaths we
stand with one foot upon the domain of the moralist, but only with one. Religious
teaching, training in schools, churches, missionary efforts to reclaim the outcast and
fallen are good enough and useful enough in their way, but what can religious teaching,
what can moral training avail, when home influences and home surroundings are
such as to forbid, I was about to say religious and moral practices, but the merest
decencies of family life. What, think you, would be the verdict if the true history
were known of the 67 deaths of illegitimate and deserted children included in the
mortality tables for 1860? 20 of them—a most disproportionate number—were said
to have died from "atrophy," "continual wasting," "congenital debility," &c.; how
many of these were the victims of wilful neglect ? 4 of them were said to have died