[Report 1888] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire Combined Sanitary District.

  • Berkshire Combined Sanitary District.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1888] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire Combined Sanitary District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of ashes and refuse. Three mild cases occurred in two other cottages of this row ; but all ended in recovery. I advised the conversion of all the cesspits into earth closets, and other necessary works, but, owing to the death of the owner, cleansing only, and the removal of positive nuisances has as yet been carried out. There was not, however, any further spread of disease. The births registered during the year were 288 in number (M. 145, F. 143), equivalent to a rate of 257 per 1,000 of the estimated population at the middle of the year, and nearly two per 1,000 below the “ mean rate” for the combination. The registered deaths amounted to 161, to which must be added 23 of persons belonging to the district but occurring in public institutions outside, viz. : Union House 16, Moulsford Asylum 5, other places 2, making a total of 184 (M. 97, F. 87), being seven below the number in 1887. This amounts to a rate of 16*4 per 1,000, which is 1*6 above the “ mean rate” of the combined districts for the year. It will be seen from Table V that the excess of births over deaths did not exceed 36 %. This is 10 % under the mean rate, and is accounted for by the comparative paucity of the births ; but the, mortality among infants less than a. twelvemonth old was only a fraction above the average for the combination. The “ zymotic diseases ” mortality was extremely low—see Table IV B—the total being two deaths each from enteric fever and whooping cough, with one infantde death from diarrhoea, the death rate being only *4 per 1,000—one of the lowest in the combined areas, the mean for which was i*i—and accounting for but 27 % of the deaths from all causes, which is but little more than a third of the average percentage for the year. Consumption caused 10 deaths, or about two-thirds as many as in the previous year, being at the rate of '9 per 1,000, or 5*4 % of the total mortality, and considerably below the year’s average. All but one of these deaths (occurring within the district) were females between 15 and 35,