Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne.

  • Melbourne (Vic.). Health Committee.
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/28 (page 9)
    again continued her work of visiting Centres, but for two months at the end of the year, while she was visiting New Zealand to inquire into Child Welfare Work, her duties were satisfactorily carried out by Dr. Kate Campbell. Progress in the abatement of nuisance from smoke continues by reconstruction of furnaces, use of special apparatus, increase of electric power, and the use of oil fuel. New legislation under the Health Act 1919, passed during the year, imposes additional duties to be carried out by this office under the Health Committee. Proceedings were initiated by this office for various breaches of the Health Act and Regulations and of the Council’s By-laws in 73 cases, and the total fines and costs imposed amounted to £218/5/-. Reports of 52 medical examinations of persons joining the Council’s service, and of those retiring on account of ill-health, as well as of certain members of the Electrical Supply Department, were furnished during the year. Miss Carlile was granted leave of absence for six months, and Miss M. E. Brett, who was appointed temporarily, carried out the duties in a satisfactory manner. Inspector H. Lendon resigned and left the Council’s service on 30th April. Mr. N. Harris, who was appointed to the vacancy, commenced duty on 6th August, and has shown himself to be an efficient officer. During the year special reports on a large number of subjects of Public Health importance, incorporating the results of inquiries and observations made during my visit abroad, were presented. I desire to add here that the staff carried out the numerous duties of the office in an energetic and tactful manner. POPULATION. According to a return furnished by the Government Statist, the esti¬ mated mean population of the City was 101,780. being 180 less than that for 1924. BIRTHS. The number of births registered was 4,222, of which 2,396 occurred in the Women’s Hospital, and 454 in the Queen Victoria Hospital. Excluding the figures for both hospitals, the balance, 1,372, is equivalent to a birth¬ rate of 13.48 per 1,000 of the estimated mean population. This rate is an approximate one only for the City. DEATHS. The number of deaths of residents of the City registered for all causes was 954, or 161 less than the total for 1924. As in previous reports, the figures have been corrected for deaths occurring in public hospitals of the Metropolis, private hospitals in the City, and three large private hospitals outside of the City. The deaths of City residents in hospitals for the insane throughout the State, as well as those from pulmonary tuberculosis (numbering 29) which occurred in Sanatoria for Consumptives and the Austin Hospital, are also included in the total figures. The total number of deaths is equivalent to a death rate of 9.33 per 1,000 of the estimated mean population, and is 1.60 per 1,000 less than in 1924. The rate for 1925 is the lowest ever recorded for the City, being 1.34 per 1,000 below the next most favourable year—1922—when the rate was 10.67 per 1,000. When the correction for the proportion of deaths of City residents in the Metropolitan Benevolent Institutions is applied, the death rate is raised to 9.66 per 1,000. Deaths from the principal zymotic diseases numbered 11, compared with 38 in 1924. Measles caused 5 deaths, compared with one last year. Scarlet Fever, with 2 deaths, was the same as in 1924, and Whooping Cough caused 2 deaths, as against 15. Diphtheria caused one death only, the lowest number ever recorded for any year, compared with 9 in the previous year. For the seventh consecutive year there was again only one death from Typhoid Fever. No deaths were recorded from Influenza.