View report page

28
some cause which was only temporary but which acted
with great energy.

Having mentioned a few additional facts connected
with the great epidemic of last year, I shall now report
very briefly on the mortality from the other seven most
fatal epidemic diseases. This table shows that there
were 464 deaths from small-pox, measles, scarlet fever,
diphtheria, whooping-cough, diarrhoea, and fever. That
of these 162 were caused by diarrhoea, so that if we exclude
about 100 deaths which were probably produced
by the choleraic poison, We should have about 364 from
ordinary epidemic disease. This is a large number,
especially as scarlet fever was on the decline, but it was
partly caused by small-pox, the mortality from which
was 31 against 6 in 1865, 12 in 1864, and 41 in 1863.
There can be no doubt that a large proportion of these
deaths could have been prevented by a more efficient
system of vaccination and re-vaccination. I would, if
space permitted, dwell especially on the importance of
vaccination, but it will perhaps suffice to say, that a
very large proportion of those who died last year from