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18
The rainfall of England and Wales during 1903 was sufficiently
unusual to justify an enquiry as to how far and in what direction it
may have influenced the mortality statistics, for the rainfall of the
past year exceeded the average of the previous 15 years by at least 35
per cent. The consequences, physical and otherwise, of rainfall are
manifold. It tends to keep the atmosphere clean; it keeps collections
of dust and refuse moist, and therefore prevents particles from being
detached by the wind, thus reducing the chances of infection of food,
etc., by organisms; the flushing effect of the rainfall upon the sewers
and its cleansing effect upon gullies, yards and pavements, must also
be thought of. On the other hand, the rising of the level of the sub-soil
water and the general increase of surface moisture are responsible for
conditions of dampness which may give rise to several forms of
disease.
If we take a general view of the figures for 1903 for the country
as a whole, the interesting fact stands out that the general death-rate
was the lowest on record, namely, 15.4 per 1,000, and, compared with
the average rate in the 10 years 1893-1902, it shows a decrease of 2.2
per 1,000. The rate of infantile mortality was 132, and in London it
was 130—a very low figure indeed.
The death-rate from Enteric Fever, and Summer Diarrhœa,
were well below the average, as was also the death-rate from
Diphtheria. The deaths from Scarlet Fever were the lowest on record;
those from Diphtheria are the lowest totalled since 1881; those from
Enteric Fever showed the smallest number of deaths on record. But
the statistics for 1903 also afford evidence of the continuation of
general tendencies shown during the last eight or nine years, namely,
a declining birth-rate, a declining death-rate, and a relatively slight
decline in the infantile mortality.