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57
Order 1. Accident or Negligence.— Total deaths, 50 (9 in Brompton),
viz.: Fractures and Contusions, 20; Suffocation, 17, all but one
of infants under one year; Burns and Scalds, 4; Poison, 2; Drowning,
3; Otherwise, 4.
Order 2. Homicide.— Two deaths,— one of an infant under 1, verdict
"wilful murder"; and one of a female between 25 and 35, death
being the consequence of criminal abortion.
Order 4. Suicide.— Seven deaths (3 in Brompton), viz.: by Poison,
4 ; Drowning, 1; by Wounds, 1; and Otherwise, 1.
Nine deaths, 7 in the Town sub-district, and 5 of them under five
years of age, are classified to " causes not specified or ill-defined."
Among deaths classified to unusual causes may be mentioned one
of a child aged 16 months from glanders. This case, one of two in the
same family, was specially referred to in my last annual report in connection
with an outbreak of glanders at Colville Mews.
An uncertificated death of a woman aged 60, from "hemorrhage from
a vein," was doubtless due to the bursting of a varicose vein in the leg,
and may be fairly described as a preventible death; few things in surgery
being more easy than to staunch bleeding from a vein by pressure. The
majority, even of educated persons appear to be not aware of this
fact, the knowledge of which would often be the means of saving life.
It may be hoped that information of an elementary kind, bearing on
the laws of life and health, will some day form an essential part of
every school curriculum.
A death was registered of a child from "Circumcision, 19 days,
Erysipelas, Mortification." A death, unsatisfactorily certified as "Betarded
Eruptive Fever," is classified to "Simple Continued Fever" in
the Begistrar-General's tables. The case was probably one of
Scarlatina.
A case of "Meningitis, 21 days, Cynanche, 7 days," is classified to
Diphtheria by the Begistrar-General.
The deaths of an eminent sergeant-at-law and his wife were by
rumour attributed to blood-poisoning from sewer gas. The sergeant's
death was caused by "inflammation of the lungs, obstruction of the
bowels, and perforation," the lady's by "Septicemia, double pneumonia,
(4 days), Cardiac failure, 20 hours." The medical attendant stated
that he was unable to fix a definite date for the beginning of the
septicemia (which is a form of blood-poisoning), and that although