[Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Dorset Rural District Councils.

  • Dorset (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Dorset Rural District Councils. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    /^UST-kJL Wimborne and Cranborne—Mr C. H. Watts-Parkinson :— Population, 1891, 14,286 ; Estimated to middle of 1896, 14,900 ; Deaths, 164 registered ; corrected, 174, 1D7 per 1,000. Births, 379, 25-4 per 1,000. Natural increase, 205. Infantile Mortality, per 1,000 Births, 47 5. Area, 82,560 acres. Eor the first time the re-arrangement of the district takes effect. Two parishes being taken away from the Cranborne Division, and two added to the Wimborne Division, but the gross population of the district remains nearly the same. During 1896 only 164 deaths were registered, 87 males and 77 females, but to this must be added 14 deaths in the Union Work- house and two in the Cottage Hospital, while six deaths of persons coming to the district in bad health must be deducted, leaving the corrected number at 174, being 45 less than in 1895, and at the very low rate of 11'7 per 1000 estimated population. Three hundred and seventy-nine births (191 males and 188 females) were registered, being eight more than in 1895, and at the rate of 25-4 per 1,000. Estimated Population.—The natural increase of population was 205, being 53 more than in 1895. Only 18 deaths of infants occurred, the infant mortality per 1,000 births being only 47'5 as compared with 91*6 in 1895. The death-rate for the first half was phenomenal, only 71 deaths being registered at the rate of nine per 1,000 per annum. The mild winter and spring and consequent small number of deaths from Bronchitis and Pneumonia, which arc usually so fatal to the young and aged, must be thanked for this. Wimborne Rural Division. Population, 1891, 7,605 ; Estimated to middle of 1896 with Aimer and Mapperton, 8,150, Deaths, 91 registered, corrected, 98. 12 per 1,000. Births, 209, 25-6 per 1,000. Natural increase, 111. Infantile Mortality per 1,000 births, 43. The parishes of Aimer and Mapperton have been added to this division, it is, therefore, the more satisfactory to find the deaths registered have fallen from 108 in 1895 to 91 (50 males and 41 females), but to these must be added 10 deaths in the Union Workhouse and two in the Cottage Hospital, while five deaths of persons coming in ill-health must be deducted, giving the corrected number of 98, being at the low rate of 12 per 1,000 estimated population. 209 births (109 males and 100 females) were registered, being 26 more than in 1895, and at the rate of 25’6 per 1000 estimated population. The natural increase of population was 111, being 35 more than the preceding year. Only nine deaths of infants were registered, being at the very low rate of 43 per 1,000 births, as compared with 76 in 1895. Deaths.—Infants, 9—1 Whooping Cough, 1 Convulsions, 1 Phthisis, 1 Bronchitis, &c., and 4 Premature birth or debility from birth. 1-5, 11—2 Measles, &c., 3 Influenza, &c., 1 Injury, 2 Convulsions, 1 Bronchitis, &c. 5-65, 25—1 Typhoid, 1 Scarlet Fever, 3 Measles, Ac., 7 Phthisis, 1 Bronchitis, Ac., 3 Brain, 2 Cancer, 1 Heart Disease, 4 of these including the Typhoid, 1 Cancer, and 1 Phthisis case came to the district in ill-health. Over 65, 46—2 Injury, 3 Cancer, 10 Brain, 5 Bronchitis, 5 Heart, and 1 came in ill-health. The points of interest are (i) only 2 deaths from notifiable disease and one of these contracted the disease away, besides these five deaths from Measles and their sequel®, 1 from Whooping Cough in the second half, and 3 deaths from Influenza, &c. (ii) the decreased number of deaths from lung diseases, including Phthisis, and also from Heart Disease (iii) the increased number of deaths from Brain disease, and (iv) the low infantile mortality, while it is curious that the male deaths exceed the female by 9, and this is exactly com¬ pensated for by 9 more male births than female. Cranborne Rural Division. Population 1891, 6,681. Estimated to middle of 1896, less Chettle, Ac., 6,760. Deaths, 73 registered, corrected, 76, 11 '3 nearly. Births, 170, 25‘2 per 1,000. Natural increase, 94. Infantile Mortality per 1000 births, 53. During 1896, 73 deaths (37 males and 36 females) were registered, but four deaths occurring at the Union Workhouse must be added, and one death from Diphtheria must be deducted, making the true number 76, being at the very low rate of ll-3 per 1,000 estimated population and 35 less than in 1895. This is a great decrease, even allowing for the decreased population, on account of the two parishes taken away and added to Blandford. The births were 170 (82 males and 88 females) being 17 less than in 1896, and at the rate of 25’2 per 1,000 estimated population. The natural increase of population was 94, being 18 more than in 1895. Only nine deaths of infants were registered, as compared with 20 in 1895, and the infantile mortality per 1,000 births is only 53. This is a great improvement from 107 in 1895 and 123 in 1894, and speaks well for the improved condition of the district. Deaths.—Infants, 9—1 Measles, 2 Bronchitis, Ac., 1 Convulsions, and 4 Premature Birth or Debility from birth. 1-5, 5—2 Measles, 1 Convulsions, 1 Bronchitis, Ac. 5-65, 27—1 Diphtheria contracted away, 4 Influenza, Ac , 8 Phthisis, 3 Bronchitis, Ac., and 2 Cancer, 1 Drowned accidentally, 3 Heart, 1 Brain, 1 Confinement. Over 65, 32—2 Influenza, 1 Injury, 1 Cancer, 11 Heart, 1 Brain, and 2 Bronchitis, Ac. The points of interest are (i) the only death from notifiable disease was for the second year in succession a case of Diphtheria contracted outside the district, and no further case occurred, (ii) The only deaths from Zymotic disease were 6 deaths from Influenza and Pneumonia in the first half,and 3 deaths from Measles in the second half, (iii) The g eatly-reduced mortality, especially under 5 and over 65, was due chiefly to the mild weather as shown by the fact that the deaths unde 5 from Bronchitis, Ac., were 14 in 1895 and only 3 in 1896, while 11 deaths from Bronchitis were registered of persons over 65 in 1895, and only 2 in 1896, showing that 20 fewer children and aged persons died in 1896 from acute lung disease than in 1895. notifiable diseases. During 1896, 55 notifications were received, and only 6 of them from the Cianborne Division ; 3 deaths were registered, 1 Diphtheria, in the Cranborne, and 1 Typhoid and 1 Scarlatina, in the Wimborne Division, but the Diphtheria and Typhoid was contracted away, and the patients came home ill so the mortality is only 1 from Scarlatina, or just over 0 06 per 1,000 estimated population. Typhoid.—Two cases notified. A fatal death in the Wimborne Division ; contracted the disease abroad and came home ill. A mild case in the Handley district a child aged 3 years. There was some possibility of the well being polluted by surface water. This was attended to and no other illness reported. Diphtheria.—Seven cases notified and 3 of Diphtheritic Throat, only 1 death and that the only case in the Cranborne Division. The disease was contracted away and the child espe home ill, and no other care occurred. Of the 6 cases reported in the Wimborne Division 2 mild cases were reported in February, they were isolated cases and no cause could be ascertained; 4 cases reported in August and December were clearly shown to have contracted the disease outside the district. No death, Scarlatina.—38 cases. Only 4 in the Cranborne Division, of these 1 case was notified at Gussage in October, and 3 at Handley in December. They were of a mild type, and while no further case occurred at Gussage, a succession of cases have been notified at Handley, and 1 child was going about without medical attendance and only brought to the medical man when peeling. Of the 34 cases in the Wimborne Division 14 occurred at Shapwick in February and the infection was traced to a child living outside the district, but coming to the Shapwick school. This child was unattended by a medical man. and was only away from school a few days, and was found to be peeling while at school. 2 cases at iStoney Down. A visitor came while convalescing and infected two girls. 18 cases in the Longham district, beginning with mild cases in September and becoming more serious the end of October when 1 fatal case was reported. The cases were in the first place among school children and the schools were closed for a time, but the later and more severe cases were spread in a great measure by the people neglecting to obey the directions given them, In one glaring case the offender was summoned and fined, but it is almost impossible to get the people to obey orders as to isolation, Ac. I would suggest that a printed caution be circulated in the district, that all persons neglecting to obey the directions given as to isolation, will be summoned and liable to a heavy penalty. All these outbreaks occur on the borders of the district and among a class of people whose occupations take them a good deal about the country. The cases also became more serious after the epidemic of Whooping-cough and Measles which attacked the children very generally. Erysipelas.—Five isolated cases were notified. Besides the death from Scarlatina, 1 death from Whooping Cough, 3 from Measles, and 5 from Measles and Laryngitis, and 9 from Influenza, were registered, making the mortality from every kind of Zymotic disease nearly 1.3 per ’000 estimated population. Whooping-Conyh was prevalent in the Wimborne Division in the Summer. Fortunately the time was a favourable one, and only 1 death. Measles.—There was |i very extensive epidemic, and the schools at Holt, Gaunts, Bark Homer, Hampreston, Gussage, Cranborne, Famham, West Moors, and Corfe Mullen, were closed in consequence of the large number of children attacked. The outbreak was of a mild character when it began in the Summer, but in the last quarter became more serious, and 8 deaths resulted, 3 in the Cranborne, and 5 in the Wimborne Division; 5 deaths were due to Laryngitis after Measles. This is in my experience a very fatal sequela and I have not seen such cases before. The children were all convalescent and the Laryngitis came on suddenly and was fatal in 24 hours. I made a post-mortem examination of one case, and found no trace of membrane, only symptoms of acute tfedema and clogging of the throat and air passages with fluid. It is satifactory to find only one death again from notifiable disease for the second year in succession, especially as there were some cases of Diphtheria reported, which were.chiefly contracted out of the district and of a mild type, and I am happy to have so satis¬ factory a report, and such an almost unheard of low rate of mortality, especially among infants. The district has been visited generally, and the cases of infectious disease especially again and again, and the premises disinfected, Over 300 premises have been visited and reported on and various nuisances abated. The Scarlatina cases in Hampreston parish have been difficult to manage, on account of the impossibility to induce the people to take the necessary care to avoid communicating the disease, and it was thought desirable to summons one flagrant case for disobedience to orders. Summary. Four cases of over-crowding have been reported and abated, one person was summoned for over-crowding and an order was made by the magistrates. Seven cottages have been repaired and put in good condition. Six nuisances of various kinds have been abated and many others reported on. Ten wells have been repaired and cleaned out. Five new wells have been sunk. Eight new closets have been ordered, 3 of these not yet provided, and a large number repaired and converted into earth closets. The water supply has been improved, and many samples taken and examined, and when found polluted, a better supply provided.