[Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Castle Ward (Union) R.D.C.

  • Castle Ward (Northumberland, England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Castle Ward (Union) R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    RURAL DISTRICT OF CASTLE WARD NORTHUMBERLAND. Annual HepoPt of the IVledical Officer of Health. — — —- Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, In presenting to you my Annual Report on the Health and Sanitary condition of your district, I shall endeavour, for uniformity, to follow the order of former years. The estimated population to the middle of June, i8g6, is 9574’375. Area of the district in acres, 85*219. 114 deaths were registered^ during the year, giving a death-rate of irg per 1,000 per annum. 248 births were registered during the same period, giving a birth-rate of 25-5 per 1,000 per annum. Natural increase of the population, 134. Of the deaths 26 were under five years of age and 38 were over 65 years of age. Four were recorded from the seven principal zymotic diseases, and, calculated on the same population, give a death-rate of -04 per 1,000 per annum Of the total number of deaths, 32 were registered during the ist quarter. 24 do. do. 2nd do. 34 do. do. 3rd do. 24 do. do. 4 th do. I visited all cases of notifiable disease reported to me and gave the necessary instructions. Fumigation was afterwards superintended by one of your officials. Disinfection of clothing, bedding, etc., cannot be efficiently carried out without a disinfector. The number of cases of infectious diseases reported to me during the years 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, and 1896 were respectively, 225, 70, 60, 43, and 43. I will now refer to the infectious diseases coming under my notice, and the steps taken to limit the extension of such diseases. Smallpox.—None. Whooping Cough has not been prevalent in the district to any extent, at no time, as an epidemic requiring special precaution. Measles, like Whooping Cough, is non-notifiable, and I have no reason to think that any cases occurred before October, when about half a dozen cases occurred at Dinnington Colliery, having extended there from the adjacent colliery village of Seaton Burn. One death occurred from Measles at Gosforth, which adjoins the latter place. .Scarlet Fever.—22 cases have been notified to me against 33 the preceding year, and 42 the ymar immediately before. Of those 7 occurred in Heddon Parish, 5 in Stamfordham, i in Kirkwhelpington, 3 in Stannington, and 6 in Ponteland. .Except in Stamfordham and Heddon, more than one case did not occur in the same house, and the houses attacked were those of farmers, farm labourers, or tradesmen, except in Dinnington Colliery village. The milk supply was invariably got at the adjoining farm.