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147
houses is considerably diminished. The action of the Vestry in
providing for a bacteriological examination leading to more rapid
and reliable diagnosis has been of great advantage to Medical
Practitioners in cases of doubtful diphtheria.
The following are the death rates from diphtheria for the
past ten years :—
1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898
.36 .28 .42 .42 1.15 .51 .51 .62 .7 54
Diarrhoea, including cases of gastro-enteritis, caused 134
deaths, equal to a death-rate of 2.02 per 1,000, This extremely
high death-rate from diarrhoea after the efforts which have been
made during the past year to diminish the mortality is somewhat
disappointing. The improvement in the removal of house
refuse and prevention of soil pollution in the neighbourhood of
houses is certainly important work, and must be steadily continued.
It must not be forgotton that last year was exceptionally
unfavourable, as a dry, hot summer is invariably associated
with a high diarrhoea mortality, and the rise has been general
throughout the country. The effect of unsound food in causing
intestintal disease is well known, and during the year a most
important action for the protection of infant life has been carried
out. We had noticed upon the inspection of the premises of a
large wholesale condensed milk merchant an accumulation of returned
blown tins, showing that decomposition of the contents had
taken place. The labels of these tins were removed and a statement
was made that they were sold for pig-feeding only. It seemed to
us that no special effort was made to prevent them being, and
it was probable that in some cases they would be, placed upon
the market. We therefore obtained the names and addresses of
the buyers, and communication was made to the Medical Officer
of Health of each particular district asking that a watch might
be kept upon these goods. In the course of time some condensed
milk was discovered in our own district which had been sold
by a man named Fells, given as a purchaser of this unsound