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ALCOHOLISM.
No death was certified during the year as due to alcoholism. Year after
year the number so certified has been quite small, and in 1922 there was 1 death.
Cirrhosis of the liver, a condition in most cases probably resulting from abuse of
alcohol, was held to be accountable for 5 deaths.
The deaths from conditions sometimes due to the irritation produced in various
organs by chronic alcoholism, e.g., nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) and
Bright's disease of the kidneys, numbered 39, as against 42 for the year 1922.
ACCIDENT, SUICIDE AND MANSLAUGHTER.
Accidental or violent deaths during 1923 numbered 67. Of these 17 were due
to suicide. Deaths of babies certified as resulting from suffocation (overlaying)
numbered 3.
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
A table showing, with regard to the infections, the total number of notifications
received, the age distribution and the number of cases notified from each of the
four registration districts, will be found on page 78.
The total number of notifications coming to hand was 614, which is lower by
394 than the figure (1,008) for 1922. The bulk of the notifications related to
tuberculosis, which contributed 224 to the total. Other diseases in respect of
which fairly large numbers of notifications were received were diphtheria (127),
scarlet fever (126), and pneumonia (51).
The notification rate (proportion to population of notified cases of infectious
diseases) in 1923 was 5.8 per 1,000 as against 9.5 in 1922.
Isolation of Cases.—As the following table shows, the number of cases
removed was as high as usual:—
Diphtheria 127 or 100.0 per cent. of the cases notified.
Erysipelas 20 „ 42.5 „ „ „
Scarlet Fever 120 „ 95.2 ,, „ ,,
Enteric and Paratyphoid
Fever 11 „ 69.0 „ „ „
Ophthalmia Neonatorum 8 „ 50.0 „ „ „
Tuberculosis 53 „ 23.6 „ „ „
Pneumonia 17 „ 33.3 „ „ „