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68
Zymotic diseases.—It is very satisfactory to notice that
the reduction in the number of deaths during the year
1879 is entirely in the infectious or zymotic group of
diseases. The total deaths in this sub-division was 27,
as compared with 36 in 1878. The Table below gives a
comparative view of the mortality from the seven chief
epidemic diseases during the past decade.
Y ears. 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879
Small-pox. ... ... 1 ... ... ... ... 1 ... 1 ...
Measles 5 4 1 ... 2 3 ... 1 2 7 ...
Scarlatina 6 3 21 7 ... ... ... 3 6 ... 3
Diphtheria 2 1 1 1 ... 1 4 ... 1 1 ...
Whooping-
cough.6 3 1 6 1 ... 9 7 ... 4 8
Typhus, &c. 5 ... 1 ... 2 ... ... ... 4 3 2
Diarrhcea
& Cholera
7 8 6 5 1 6 7 5 710 7
Totals 31 19 32 19 6 10 20 19 20 26 20
Percentage of
Deaths from
Epidemics
to deaths
from all
causes.
22.3 12.4 21.4 13.1 4.8 6.4 11.9 13.2 13.0 13.8 11.2
It will be seen that with the exception of 1873-4, the
past year has a lower relative mortality as regards these
diseases than any other year in the series, viz., 11.2 per
cent. No Small-pox, Measles, or Diphtheria in a fatal form
occurred during the year. Whooping Cough was almost
epidemic at the beginning of the year, and Scarlet Fever
prevailed during the latter part. Diarrhoea was of an
average fatality, and, as usual, chiefly occurred during the
autumn season. One case of Small-Pox occurred amongst
the pauper class (see Table 5, Appendix), and was removed