View report page

The deaths from the chief epidemic diseases were much
below the average of most preceding years, 380 only having been
registered against 490 in 1372, 751 in 1871, and 451 in 1870.
Indeed, if there had not been a very large number of deaths from
diarrhœa, which can scarcely be termed an epidemic, the total
number would have been smaller, after allowing for increase of
population, than in any year since the passing of the Metropolis
Local Management Act. There were 9 deaths from small-pox;
28 from measles; 27 from scarlet fever; 21 from diphtheria;
81 from whooping cough; 53 from fever, of which 8 were cases
of simple fever, 37 typhoid, and 8 of typhus. This total of fever
cases is small, and very satisfactory when we consider that all the
deaths in the Fever Hospital are now recorded for the district.
I do not expect so favourable a report for 1874, or 1875, as it is
most probable that measles will prevail in the former year, and
scarlet fever in both years, being worst in 1875, or the epidemic
of scarlet fever may not occur until 1875, reaching its culminating
point in 1876. There were 10 deaths from these causes in
each 68 deaths, but only 1 death in each 355 inhabitants, which
is very small.