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14
epidemic amongst us. We find that although there have been
179 deaths of residents from this disease yet the deaths from
zymotic diseases, as compared with those from all other causes,
are positively fewer than in the 15 years from 1856 to 1871
when the per-centage was 21.2 against 20.3 in 1877, 22.2 in
1872, and 28.4 in 1871. This low rate arose from the unusually
small number of deaths from Scarlet Fever and Diarrhoea in
1877. The deaths from constitutional diseases which include
consumption and other similar affections, cancer, gout, &c., are
rather fewer than usual, whilst deaths from local causes such as
inflammatory diseases of the lungs, affections of the heart, liver,
kidneys, &c., were higher than usual, as inflammatory diseases of
the lungs were especially fatal in the early part of the year. In
1870 there were only 479 deaths from these diseases, and 547 in
1877. There were 70 deaths from cancer, 31 from mortification
and abscess, 82 from mesenteric disease, 55 from water on the
brain, and 337 from consumption. There were also 100 deaths
registered from inflammation of the brain (cephalitis), of which
as many as 31 were under 1 year old, and were therefore most
probably due to a great extent to constitutional causes or to
improper feeding; for there is no doubt that many of the deaths
from cephalitis in children under 1 year are not inflammatory at
all. Diseases of the heart were unusually fatal, as there were
215 registered this year against 186 in 1876, and 187 in 1875.
There were also 139 registered from affections of the abdominal
organs against 123 in 1876, whilst under the headings of
premature birth and atrophy there was a decided diminution,
viz. : only 181 against 205. The mortality from accidents was
considerably larger, viz. : 100 against 69, which arose from an
excess of deaths by drowning, viz.: 21 (of which the greater
part were non-parishioners), 23 from fractures and contusions, 12
from burns and scalds. The percentage was, however, not much
higher, viz.: 3.2 against 2.9, in consequence of the small
number of these deaths as compared with those from all causes.