Report on the public health administration of the Punjab.

  • Punjab (India). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1932]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health administration of the Punjab. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/176 (page 5)
    The birth-rate in rural areas was 42*0, per mille, being thus, as usual, appreciably higher than the urban birth rate. 7. Deaths. Annual Form No. II. —The total number of deaths registered during the year was 579,382 as compared with 609,216 during the preceding year. The provincial death-rate was 24*7 per mille as compared with 26*0 per mille in 1931 and a mean death rate of 24*5 per mille during the preceding quinquennium. The death-rate calculated on the basis of estimated population was 24*0 per mille or 0*7 per mille less than the figure based on the census population. As compared with other years during the last decade the number of deaths during the year under report was low •— Year. No. of births. Y ear. No. of births. 1932 579,382 1927 563,349 1931 609,216 1926 749,392 1930 608,582 1925 614.852 1929 589,963 1924 891,026 1928 507,234 1923 634,862 If the health and prosperity of a population is to be estimated . _ -a the terms of births and deaths which occur during the year, then during the year under report whilst our births were highest except for one year during the last ten years, the number of deaths registered were also the lowest in the same period except for two years, 1927 and 1928, and in uhich two years the lower number of deaths were recorded after a a number of years of very high mortality and which was not the case during the year 1932. The number of deaths .recorded under the eight main heads of mortality during the last few years is compared below in table III : Table III. Head of mortality. 1932. 1931. *930. 1929. 1928, 1927. 1926. 1925. 1924. C holera .. 614 391 1,181 2,309 2,034 11,286 87 3,049 3,351 Small-pox .. 5,184 3,646 5,341 7,763 8,764 9,920 17,595 7 ,038 4,040 Plague 2,003 1,160 654 2,053 8,282 8,452 108,287 37,630 251,261 Fevers 388,427 416,974 422,377 402,4-19 316,235 358,679 436,156 401,775 452,187 Dysentery anc 13,°87 14,284 12,247 13,208 10,603 11,136 11,181 9,475 11,817 Diarrhoea 54,488 Respiratory 60,251 55,317 51,678 51,877 52,639 56,915 57,426 54,270 Diseases 6,498 Injuries 6,633 6|U0 6,103 6,636 7,306 6,776 6,614 6,449 Other causes 102,983 111,344 109,101 103,688 101,471 100,185 112,146 95,166 107,384 An examination of the above will indicate that notwithstanding the characteristic periodic rise to which epidemics are liable the mortality returns have maintained the improvements brought about during recent years. During the year under report, in spite of the favourable weather conditions the repeated inroads of cholera were kept well under check ; although the recrudescence of plague occurred rather early in the season in the month of October, its spread remained well under control; the crest of the wave of small-pox infection, which tends to develop epidemic proportions about every five years in the Province, was remarkably low, The year was not favourable to the spread of malaria, and the insanitary conditions consequent on the unexpected floods in Jumna and Sutlej rivers failed, with timely precautions taken, to increase mortality under the head “ fevers.”