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II
GENERAL HEALTH OF THE DISTRICT
DURING 1903.
Phenomenal as to rainfall, the year was also phenomenal
as to low mortality and as to a high degree of general health.
As shown in the succeeding paragraphs and tables the ordinary
infectious diseases were for the most part below the average.
Whether this was due to the constant washing of the atmosphere,
or the washing away of masses of fermenting matter in drains
and sewers, or the influence of excess of moisture on the slow
and but little understood fermentation of the soil, or not to
rainfall at all, but to the fairly uniform temperature, are
matters of speculation difficult to decide.
SCARLET FEVER.
410 cases of scarlet fever were notified ; of these 357
were removed to hospital. The case fatality was lower than
that of the previous year (1902); it has indeed fallen to about
3.6%, hence the cases were as a rule mild. Scarlet fever, from
the 2nd week in February up to the 2nd week in March
was a little above the average. During two weeks in the
middle of May scarlet fever was much above the average.
During the rest of the year the number of cases were fewer
than for the corresponding periods of the preceding five years.
DIPHTHERIA.
There were 205 cases of diphtheria notified, and of these
27 were fatal, giving a case mortality of 13%. Hence,
diphtheria was three times as fatal as scarlet fever. In the
majority of cases notified, the diagnosis has been confirmed
by a bacteriological investigation of the throat. The comparatively
high mortality of these cases also shows that the
diagnosis was correct, and that but few cases of ordinary
inflammatory affections of the throat have been erroneously
described as diphtheritic. At the same time it is to be
specially noted that diphtheria was less prevalent than in
previous years.
ENTERIC FEVER.
Enteric or typhoid fever was generally below the normal,
save for a sharp sudden rise in the latter end of September.
There were 59 cases notified, of these 10 died, giving a case
mortality of 17.5%. Most of these cases had contracted the
malady from sources outside the Borough.