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6
Zymotic Diseases.
The diseases grouped together under this term occasioned 1015 deaths, of which
637 were of children under five years of age. The distribution of these deaths amongst
the several sanitary districts may be studied upon Table II.
Small-Pox occasioned 58 deaths—more than half the number registered in the
epidemic year 1863, and more than twice the number registered in 1860 and 1864.
Of these 58 deaths, 21 were of children under five years of age, who, if they had not
been left unvaccinated, or rather if they had been vaccinated properly, never would
have died. They are 21 victims of ignorance, prejudice, or neglect. Twenty-three
of the deaths took place in adults who had either never bean vaccinated at all, or in
whom the protection once obtained had worn out by lapse of time. Deaths by smallpox
are the most unsatisfactory deaths that an Health Officer has to record, because
he feels that they need never have happened.
Hooping Cough is the only other contagious disease of this class that I need
specially allude to, as it alone occasioned an excessive mortality. It carried off 187
children, of whom all but four were under 5 years of age.
Diarrhœa and other bowel complaints together occasioned 240 deaths. The
mortality from this cause broke out with unusual suddenness in the week ending
June 24th, when 25 deaths from diarrhoea occurred, while in the previous week only
four had occurred. This was the 25th week of the year, which was remarkable for
an extreme dryness of atmosphere conjoined with a temperature, which, although only
61.1° as the mean of the week, attained as the mean of the highest readings of the
thermometer a temperature of 76.5°. No rain had fallen during that or the two
preceding weeks.
With the prospect of epidemic disease during the coming summer, I have thought
it right to point out where diarrhœal affections have prevailed most during the last
five years. This is done in Table III., where the total deaths in each district from
this cause are stated, and the per centage in the population calculated. The percentage
in those districts marked * is of course in excess of the truth; but where the
districts are not thus marked the numbers represent tolerably accurately the relative
tendencies of the districts to suffer from a choleraic outbreak. In the districts against
which an high number stands in the Table, every house should be visited, and there
should not be in any house a foul or untrapped drain, dirty tenement, or an uncleansed
water-cistern.
INFANT MORTALITY.
You are aware that it has been my habit to state upon my annual Table of the
district mortality the number of deaths of children under 5 years of age. I have
made no alteration in this Table for the present year: nevertheless in the book into
which I enter the deaths in every street and house, and from which this Table is
compiled, I have distinguished this year between the deaths of children under 1 year
of age, and those of children between 1 year and 5 years of age; and I have done so
because it has been asserted that local unwholesomeness is not especially fatal to