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8
MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORT.
Gentlemen,
I have this evening the pleasure of presenting to you my
Twenty-first Annual Report on the Sanitary transactions of the
year, together with such remarks as have suggested themselves to
me in reference to the causes of disease and the best and surest
method of counteracting them.
During the past year there were 658 deaths in the district,—
368 persons died in Christchurch and 290 in St. Saviour's. Of
those who died in Christchurch 110 died in the workhouse, a
large proportion of them having previously resided in other parts
of the district.
There were 496 births in Christchurch and 580 in St. Saviour's.
It will probably be observed that Christchurch, although the
smaller parish, presents a larger list of deaths than St. Saviour's.
This is explained by the fact that Christchurch Workhouse
receives a large proportion of aged men from the entire Union,
which is comprised of Christchurch, St. Saviour's, St. George's,
and Newington.
It is encouraging to find a comparison with the RegistrarGeneral's
Report, just issued shows the death rate of mortality per
1000 of persons at all ages living in London was 22.3, while in
St. Saviour's District it was 21.5, or nearly one death per 1000 in
our favour; but by far the most gratifying feature in the Report
is the extraordinary reduction of deaths from epidemic diseases as
compared with my last Report. In 1875, 78 deaths occurred in
Christchurch and 104 in St. Saviour's from zymotic diseases,
making a total of 182. Last year there were 38 deaths in Christchurch
and an exact number in St. Saviour's, making a total of
76, and the marvellous reduction of 106 during the year. The