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The increase has been chiefly among young children below 5, i.e.
201 last year against 104 in 1887 ; and also among old people over 65,
namely 85 in 1888, against 73 in 1887.
The deaths have been thus classified :—
1888. 1887
Specific febrile, or zymotic diseases 111 86
Constitutional diseases 71 52
Developmental diseases 51 27
Local diseases 195 179
Deaths from violence 10 9
111 defined or not specified causes 25 21
It will be seen that there was an increase of deaths from zymotic
diseases, namely 25 more. This was partly due to diphtheria at the
beginning of the year, which caused 41 deaths against 34 last year, but
more especially to the prevalence of whooping-cough, which killed 21
last year, and only 6 in 1887. The deaths from enteric fever were 11,
against 5 in 1887. Measles caused 7 deaths, and scarlatina 11.
Diarrhoea was only the cause of 15 deaths, a very low mortality.
Consumption killed 32 persons, still a low average compared with the
whole country. Cancer caused 8 deaths. Bronchitis was the cause of
49 deaths, chiefly of young infants ; pneumonia, of 14. Cirrhosis of the
liver caused 10 deaths, a disease entirely due to alcoholic liquors. There
were 32 cases certified as due to old age, namely 7 between 65 and 75 ;
17 between 75 and 85 ; and 8 over 85.
I have referred to the epidemics of diphtheria and whooping-cough.
Measles has also been rather abundant and there have been several local
outbreaks of scarlatina, though never a general epidemic. Abortive
efforts were made to secure a house for a local fever hospital, and the
matter now stands for arrangement with other Local Boards if possible.
This is still an urgent necessity, and if, as some wish, the stringency of
the vaccination laws is to be diminished, it can only be safely done by a
far more stringent plan for compelling the registration of every case of
small pox and other infectious diseases under a heavy penalty and the
immediate removal of all such cases from their homes to an isolated
building