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207
Small-pox caused 1 death. This occurred in the third
quarter of the year, and was due to Peckham. There were
no deaths from this disease in 1889 or 1890.
To influenza, 152 deaths were attributed, against 41 in
the previous year. Of these, 129 were reported to have
occurred in the second quarter of the year.
Nine deaths were reported as due to syphilis.
The year, generally, may be regarded as having been a
healthy year, both by reason of the death-rate being low,
and by reason of the comparatively small mortality arising
from the so-called zymotic group of diseases. But, nevertheless,
the mortuary returns reveal some facts pointing in
an opposite direction which should not be disregarded. The
first to which I may call attention is the relatively heavy
mortality recorded during the second quarter of the year.
As a general rule the first and last quarters of the year are
(owing mainly to the influence of season) the most fatal
periods; and the third quarter, owing largely to the fatality
of infantile diarrhoea at that time, comes next in order; the
second quarter showing the lightest mortality of all. But
in the year 18.91 it was the second quarter which was the
most fatal. This was no doubt due to the recrudesence
of influenza at this time—a fact which is indicated partly
by the large number of deaths directly attributed to
Influenza, partly by the undue fatality of inflammatory
affections of the lungs, and partly by the disproportionately
heavy mortality (especially as compared with that of the
third and fourth quarters) of persons upwards of 30 years
of age, among whom, as is well-known, influenza chiefly
made havoc. The second fact is the heavy mortality among