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leaving the Sarvtorium. The majority of the poorer classes who
suffer are accustomed to an indoor life, and if sent to the country or
to one of our colonies would be helpless.
MEASLES.
In 1906. 27 deaths were registered as due to Measles, but before
we deal with the special features of the recent epidemic, it may be cf
interest to trace briefly the history of the disease in the district during
the last quarter of a century. This survey, I hope, will convince the
Council of one important fact; that in spite of the improvement which
is noticeable, there is still a deplorable sacrifice of life upon the altar
of this one disease alone.
For purposes of comparison, Acton is more fortunate than most
other centres of population. If the relative incidence of Measles on
certain age-groups be considered, it will be found that the mortality
from the disease falls heaviest on children under 5 years of age.
Throughout the kingdom the birth-rate has been steadily and
continuously diminishing during the last 20 years, and, consequently,
the proportion of children under 5 years of age, to the entire population,
is now less than it formerly was. Where a falling birth-rate has
been in progress, a comparison of the death-rate from Measles extending
over a number of years would be fallacious. On the other hand,
in Acton, since 1890, the birth-rate per 1.000 inhabitants has been
fairly constant. It is, of course, understood, that we are now dealing
with the proportion of children to the entire population and not with
the birth-rate. Owing to various causes, the age-constitution of the
population in Acton has changed, and the relative number of women
between the ages of 15 and 45 has increased. This accounts for the
apparent constancy of the birth-rate, but if the rate be expressed as
the ratio of births to the number of married women between the ages
of 15 and 45 years, the same phenomenon would be observed here as in
the rest of the kingdom.
In view of the fact that the relative proportion of children under
5 years has not altered, the usual method has been adopted, and the
mortality from Measles has been expressed as the number of deaths
per 100.000 of the population. In the circumstances, a comparison with
the years 1890-1905, based upon the total number of deaths registered,
is a fair and legitimate one.