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I now proceed to make a few observations with regard to
each of the above-mentioned diseases.
Measles. The deaths were 39, about half the decennial
average: 33 were recorded in the second half of the year,
and 36 took place in the Town sub-district. The deaths
from this cause in 1882 were 76, the same as the decennial
average. In the majority of the fatal cases, some intercurrent
disease, e.g., pneumonia, bronchitis, etc., a complication
of the original malady, was the immediate cause of
death. Little care is taken by parents among the poorer
classes to prevent the spread of measles; it is considered as
inevitable as teething, and they reason that there is less
trouble in the long run if all the children have the complaint
at one time. It must, however, be admitted that it is
difficult to prevent measles from spreading, it being highly
infectious from an early stage, if not from the beginning.