[Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, St Albans Urban Sanitary District & Rural Sanitary District.

  • St. Albans (England). Urban Sanitary District.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, St Albans Urban Sanitary District & Rural Sanitary District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The 17 deaths from Zymotic diseases were made up as follows:—2 from Scarlet Fever, 2 from Diphtheria, 1 from Measles, 1 from Whooping Cough, 1 from Erysipelas, 2 from Diarrhoea, and 8 from Influenza. The Zymotic death-rate was therefore including In¬ fluenza 1’i or if Influenza be excluded o'6 which is less than half what it has been for the two previous years. I would attribute our lessened death-rate not only to the diminished prevalence of Influenza amongst us, but also to the exceptionally dry and warm weather which prevailed throughout the greater part of the year. On the other hand the extreme and unusual heat experienced during the Summer months exerted an unfavourable influence, and contributed to raise the mortality during that season. There were 40 deaths during the months of July and August, and the death-rate for these months was at the rate of 16*2 or considerably higher than the average for the year. February, March, October, and November had a mortality considerably below the average,—the healthiest month being October, when only six deaths were registered, giving a death-rate for that month at the rate of 4*9 per annum. No doubt the disappearance of Measles and Whooping Cough accounts to some extent for the diminished mortality amongst young children. There were five deaths from Accident or Violence during the year:—one at Bricket Wood of a woman aged 36, who “cut her throat with a razor during a fit of tem¬ porary insanity, and died from shock caused by the wound and loss of blood”; one also at Bricket Wood of a man aged 49, who “ committed suicide by drowning himself in the river Colne not then being of sound mind”; one at Harpenden of a young man aged 18, who “committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train in motion on the Midland Railway”; one also at Harpenden of a man aged 41, who was “accidentally struck and killed by a train in motion on the Midland Railway”; and one at Sandridge of a child 3 days old, who died from “ shock caused by fall from the mother at birth.” During the year there were nine inquests held :—one on a young man aged 18, who died of “ Rheumatic fever and Valvular disease of the Heart”; another on an old woman aged 81, who died of “ Syncope ”; a third on an old man aged 65, who died of “ Failure of the Heart