Report of the Medical Officer of Health on the public health and sanitary circumstances of Johannesburg.

  • Johannesburg (South Africa)
Date:
[1938]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health on the public health and sanitary circumstances of Johannesburg. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and enteritis (138), nephritis (131), other respiratory diseases (62), silicosis (55), influenza (53), chronic bronchitis (49), tuberculosis of lungs (40), cerebral haemorrhage (23), acute bronchitis (21), measles (21), enteric (20), other forms of tuberculosis (13), diphtheria (7), and whooping cough (7). (b) For Natives.—Pneumonia (970), diarrhoea and enteritis (461), violent deaths (373), heart diseases (291), premature birth and early infancy (208), tuberculosis of lungs (193), other forms of tuberculosis (88), acute bronchitis (64), influenza (52), enteric (43), nephritis (36), meningitis (36), cancer (32), other respiratory diseases (26), chronic bronchitis (18), silicosis (8), whooping cough (7), cerebral haemorrhage (7), and measles (7). (c) For Eurafricans.—Pneumonia (128), diarrhoea (67), heart diseases (64), tuberculosis of lungs (40), violent deaths (32), premature birth and early infancy (29), cancer (17), acute bronchitis (11), nephritis (10), other respiratory diseases (6), and other forms of tuberculosis (6). (d) For Asiatics.—Pneumonia (65), heart diseases (36), diarrhoea (26), premature birth and early infancy (20), acute bronchitis (9), tuber¬ culosis of lungs (8), chronic bronchitis (5), violent deaths (5). (2) That the comparison with the two previous years is as follows: — (a) As regards Whites, the principal increases are in respect of heart diseases, 586 as compared with 528 in 1936-37 and 411 in 1935-36; violent deaths, 198 as compared with 181 in 1936-37 and 146 in 1935-36; nephritis, 131 as compared with 95 in 1936-37 and 110 in 1935-36; cancer, 273 as compared with 262 in 1936-37 and 248 in 1935-36; other respiratory diseases, 62 as compared with 32 in 1936-37 and 74 in 1935-36; silicosis, 55 as com¬ pared with 30 in 1936-37 and 41 in 1935-36; diarrhoea and enteritis, 138 as compared with 114 in 1936-37 and 130 in 1935-36; chronic bronchitis, 49 as compared with 27 in 1936-37 and 48 in 1935-36; and measles, 21 as compared with 1 in 1936-37 and 5 in 1935-36. The principal decreases are in respect of pneumonia, 317 as compared with 350 in 1936-37 and 395 in 1935-36; cerebral haemorrhage, 23 as compared with 52 in 1936-37 and 77 in 1935-36; tuberculosis of lungs, 40 as compared with 43 in 1936-37 and 60 in 1935-36; acute bronchitis, 21 as compared with 31 in 1936-37 and 25 in 1935-36; and meningitis, 6 as compared with 23 in 1936-37 and 19 in 1935-36. (b) d.s regards Natives, the principal increases are in respect of other forms of tuberculosis, 88 as compared with 43 in 1936-37 and 45 in 1935-36; influenza, 52 as compared with 36 in 1936-37 and 37 in 1935-36; heart diseases, 291 as compared with 222 in 1936-37 and 144 in 1935-36; prema¬ ture birth and early infancy, 208 as compared with 138 in 1936-37 and 172 in 1935-36; and pneumonia, 970 as compared with 921 in 1936-37 and 972 in 1935-36. The principal decreases are in respect of whooping cough, 7 as compared with 20 in 1936-37 and 7 in 1935-36; acute bronchitis, 64 as compared with 100 in 1936-37 and 125 in 1935-36; violent deaths, 373 as compared with 434 in 1936-37 and 365 in 1935-36; tuberculosis of lungs, 193 as compared with 209 in 1936-37 and 220 in 1935-36; and diarrhoea and enteritis, 461 as compared with 474 in 1936-37 and 537 in 1935-36. (c) As regards Eurafricans and. Asiatics there is no important factor in comparison with the two previous years. % Though the deaths of all races from pneumonia are practically the same as in the previous year, there is a considerable diminution in the rates, for Europeans in the past three years, the figures being 1-65, 133 and 1-17. It is possible that the mortality may be diminishing on account of improved therapeutic measures, though the newer drugs now coming into vogue were not being used to any large extent in the year under review. The results of their employment, however, indicate that in the future the case mortality of pneumonia will be considerably diminished, which in a place like Johannes¬ burg, with a high incidence rate of pneumonia, is a pleasing prospect, and one which will have a noticeable effect in the diminution of the general mortality rate. That no European deaths were occasioned by scarlet fever, and only 7 deaths by diphtheria in a city of the size of Johannesburg, is most gratifying. The reverse, however, is true in regard to the number of violent deaths, which, in the past three years, number 1,782. In comparison only 922 deaths from cancer occurred in the same period. It may, however, be some consolation to sufferers from a cancer complex to know that they are doubly likely to meet a violent end than to die of cancer.