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A frequent cause also is accidental violence—the infant is entrusted
to a young girl, who can hardly stagger along under her burthen;
the child has an unlucky fall on its head, and in due course symptoms
of inflammation appear; the girl strenuously denies all knowledge
of an accident, and thus many cases remain involved in
obscurity as to their origin. As regards Bronchitis and Pneumonia
I am only astonished that the deaths from them are not more frequent;
children are taken out suffering from these diseases in the
most inclement weather; very few of the houses of the poor are
adapted for the successful treatment of these affections; there is
either too much ventilation or not enough, and many lives are
sacrificed annually from these causes. To sum up the matter, the
infant mortality of this District is due, in a great measure, to
improper management on the part of persons having the care of
children, either from ignorance or carelessness. Until they are
taught the laws of health, and consent to practice them, this
excessive infant mortality will prevail.
General Mortality of the District.
Zymotic Diseases.—Notwithstanding the prevalence of Small
Pox, the number of deaths registered from diseases of a Zymotic
character were considerably less than in the preceding year, the
numbers having been for 1877, 331, and for 1878, 288. The deaths
from the seven principal diseases of this class were equal to 4.7 per
1,000 of population, and of every 1,000 deaths registered 192 were