View report page

52
in the second-age (one and under two years), 4 in the third-age (two
and under five), and one over five years of age. All occurred in the last
two months (November and December) of the year. An outbreak began
at the end of September at Eldon Road Schools, and gradually worked
its way south. On December 18th I addressed a circular letter to all
the managers of Sunday Schools, asking them to co-operate in the
prevention of the disease. Several hundreds of special leaflets re
measles were distributed by the Woman Inspectors, who visited the families
attacked.
WHOOPING COUGH.
There were 23 deaths from this cause, as compared with 15, 9, and
13, in 1911-10-9. This is equal to a death-rate from the disease of
0.35 per 1,000 living. All the deaths occurred amongst children under
5 years of age—13 in the first-age period, 7 in the second, and 3
in the third. Eighteen occurred in the first four months of the year.
INFLUENZA.
Four deaths were registered from this cause, compared with 3, 3,
and 17 for 1911-10-9. Two persons were over 65 years of age, and the
others were between 25 and 65 years old. Three were females.
VENEREAL DISEASES.
Syphilis. Two deaths were recorded as due to this disease ; one
of these was an infant under one year of age.
Gonorrhoea. No deaths from this disease are recorded.
As I observed in previous Annual Reports, nothing is more
misleading than the death returns of these diseases, and it will be so
until arrangement is made for medical practitioners to send their
certificates of death direct to the Registrar. Meanwhile, the deaths really
due to these causas are to be sought under such headings as "locomotor
ataxy," "stricture of urethra," "general paralysis of the insane," etc.
OTHER DISEASES
Alcoholism. One death from this cause was recorded—a female
in Fore Street ward. The death returns of this disease, as in the instance
of venereal diseases, are most deceptive. The number (male and female)
can be considerably added to by looking back into the life-history of some
of the cases certified as dying from cirrhosis of the liver, ascites, neuritis,
etc., etc.
Respiratory Diseases, including bronchitis, pneumonia,
pleurisy, and other non-tuberculous diseases of the respiratory system, gave
rise to 22 less'deaths than in 1911. The figures are 114, giving a deathrate
of 1.75 per 1,000, compared with 136 and a death-rate
of 2.15 for the latter year. Pneumonia, especially of the lobar