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38
It will be seen that the average death from
Zymotic disease for the seventeen years has been
104. Thus the death of 1871 is less by ten than
the average.
Diarrhœa.
The deaths from this disease demand our first
attention, because they were larger in 1871 than in
any year during the whole of the seventeen years. In
1866, when Cholera prevailed, there were but nineteen
cases of death from Diarrhoea, whilst in 1870
and in 1871 there were respectively twenty-six and
twenty-eight cases. One might pass over this
circumstance as only one of many instances in which
Zymotic diseases prevail more one year than another,
depending on weather or other general causes.
There is, however, this kind of relationship between
Diarrhoea and Cholera, that where the former is
most prevalent, there the latter is most liable to
occur. That renders it very necessary that a watchful
eye should be kept on the occurrence of Diarrhœa.
Although no cases of Cholera have yet been announced
as occurring in the British Islands, it
should not be forgotten that, for the fifth time, it
is travelling towards our shores ; and that at any
moment a case of Asiatic Cholera may occur in our
sea-ports.
Small Pox.
Although the mortality from this disease was less
for 1871 than for either Hooping Cough or Diarrhœa,