[Report 1895] / Sanitary Committee [- Medical Officer of Health], Cornwall County Council.

  • Cornwall (England). County Council.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1895] / Sanitary Committee [- Medical Officer of Health], Cornwall County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/12
    jSanifarg (JommitfFF. Monthly RepoH for February, 1895. There can be no doubt that we are having a long and exceptionally cold winter. The returns from our meteorological observers show that the temperature has fallen month after month, until it has reached the—for Cornwall—extraordinarily low average of a trifle over 33°, with a mean daily range of nearly 10° ; minimums as low as 10° and 1‘2°5 being registered at Launceston and Bude. The intense cold throughout the past month has indeed been very remarkable. Taking three points lengthways of the county and approximately in a line with each other, and covering about 90 miles as the crow flies, we find that at Liskeard the note by one of the most careful of our observers is— “ average temperature about 9°6 below average of past 32 years, and lowest February reading for 32 years;” at Redruth the observer records “frost every day except the last, the frost having lasted 34 consecutive days and at Scilly Islands the observer’s remark is “ unprecedented prolonged cold during the month.” The reports from our other stations are similar, and show that the temperatui’e settled down to a very low point in every part of Cornwall. In this great frost, however, we have only been sharing in a mitigated degree in what has been general throughout the kingdom. The Thames and other large rivers have been locked with ice and rendered umiavigable; the Serpentine has been frozen over so thickly that a regiment of Guards going through their evolutions on it, and as many as one hundred thousand people skating and sliding on it on: one day, have apparently made no difference to the ice; and miles of water-mains and service-pipes have been frozen under the streets of London and other large towns. The pictures which have appeared from week to week in The Graphic, Illustrated London News, and other pictorial journals, are such as might be expected in accounts of Expeditions to the North Pole rather than as illustrations of climate in England. It is generally acknowledged that nothing of the sort has been known in this country since the Crimean winter of 1854. Naturally, such conditions have been severely felt, especially by the poor; but the effect on our death-rates has not been anything like so great as might have been expected, the general mortality having only risen from 20'21 to23'51, and being only 2'33 per 1,000 more than in February'’ of last year. And, as has been the case for several months past, a large proportion (this month, 6o per cent.) of those who have died have been aged persons over 65 years and infants under 1 year. The zymotic death-rate has risen from 1-37 to 1-88, the difference being accounted for principally by the increased number of deaths from, measles; but on the other hand, the general disease-rate has fallen from 0-51 to 0’4l, and it would have been considerably lower even than this but for the lamentable outbreak of typhoid at Phillack. Diphtheria has the same number of cases this mouth as in January, but there has only been one death as compared with 5 in that month. The principal centres are Boscastle district 3 cases, and Camborne 4 cases and 1 death. Erysipelas has decreased from 27 cases and 1 death last month to 16 cases this. The figui’es are pretty closely following the seasonal variations which have been noted for this disease. Sca/rlet Fever has again lessened, there being only 64 cases as compared with 93 last month, and with 112 cases and 5 deaths in the corresponding month of last year. But although the cases have been greatly less, the fatality has been comparatively greater, there having been 4 deaths this month, 2 of them in the Paul Urban district. Typhoid has unhappily doubled its cases and trebled its fatality, there being 27 cases with 3 deaths as compared with H cases and 1 death last month. Fifteen of the cases and all the deaths this months have been at Ventouleague, Phillack. Efforts are being made to discover the cause of this outbreak—which is serious on a small population of about 4,000—but it had not been ascertained when the M.O.H. made his report Three other cases in one house are reported from Constantine in East Kerrier (late Falmouth) Rural district, “probably caused by insanitary condition of back premises, where there was a huge and offensive cess-pit.” Measles has caused 18 deaths as compared with 7 last month, the fatality being principally in Liskeard Rural and St. Ives Urban areas. Whooping Cough shows a slight decrease from 16 to 14, the principal fatality being in Stratton Rural district. Respiratory Diseases have been considerably more fatal than they were last month, but very little more so than in February of last year. Injluen%a is making its appearance in several districts in the upper part of the county, and 6 deaths are attributed to it during the month. Five of these occurred in the adjoining Rural areas of St. Austell, Truro, and Redruth. Taken as a whole, the figures for the month continue to support the view that a hard winter is not to be feared half so much as are insanitary surroundings. An important item in this month’s statistics is the phenomenally slight rainfall, only about one-tenth of an inch having been recorded for the county. It may be said that February has practically been without rain in Cornwall, so that it has been a remarkably dry as well as cold month; and it cannot be doubted that this had a very beuoficial influence on the health of our population. There has undoubtedly been a good deal of want in many parts of the county ; but it is a satisfactory sign of the times that various religious and other public bodies, as well as benevolent societies and individuals, have quickly recognised their duties in the matter, and by promptly establishing soup kitchens, penny and free dinners, and relief funds of various kinds, have done much to alleviate the distress of the poorer members of the community. And an even more satisfactory feature is that, so far as we have had an opportunity of observing, the poor on their part are equally quick to recognise the point at which the worst has been tided over, and at the earliest moment are reverting to their various occupations and self- supporting endeavours without grumbling or discontent. (Signed on hehalf of the Committee) SILVANUS TREVAIL,, Chairman.