THE SERVICES
1908
The Lancet
an annual rate of 1'7 per 1000, corresponding with the rate that prevailed in the previous week; in London the death-rate from these diseases last week did not exceed 1 .3. No death from any of these epidemic diseases was registered last week in Brighton, Plymouth, Wallasey, Northampton, King's Norton, West Hartlepool, or in Smethwick ; whereas the annual death-rates therefrom ranged upwards in the other large towns to 3. 7 in West Bromwich, 4' 3 in Rhondda, 4' 4 in Warrington, and 7. 4 in
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... rham. The deaths attributed to diarrhoea in the 76 towns, which had steadily declined in the six preceding weeks from 1134 to 353, rose again under the influence of the remarkable increase of temperature to 363 in the week under notice, instead of showing a further decline ; the highest annual death-rates from this cause last week were 3.0 in West Bromwich, 3' 5 in Rhondda, 3' 6 in Grimsby, and 4 -9 in Rotherham. The 38 fatal cases of whooping-cough showed a decline of four from the number in the previous week; this disease caused the highest death-rates, 1-4 in Merthyr Tydfil and 1' 6 in Walsall. The 34 deaths from measles showed, however, an increase of three, but caused death-rates equal to 1.5 both in Bootle and in Warrington. The fatal cases of diphtheria, which had been 43 and 39 in the two preceding weeks, further declined last week to 34, but included 15 in London and its suburban districts, and two each in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester. Hull. and Cardiff. The 29 deaths from scarlet Manchester, Hull, and Cardiff. The 29 deaths from scarlet fever exceeded by two the number in the previous week, including 14 in London and its suburban districts, eight in Liverpool and Bootle, and two in Manchester and Salford. Of the 23 deaths from fever, showing a decline of 12 from the number in the previous week, nine occurred in London, and three both in Liverpool and in Hull. The number of scarlet fever patients under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylums and the London Fever Hospitals, which had steadily increased from 2855 to 3467 in the four preceding weeks, had I further risen to 3643 on Saturday, Oct. 3rd ; the number of new cases of this disease admitted to these hospitals i during the week under notice were 576, against 472, 625, and 565 in the three preceding weeks. The deaths in London referred to pneumonia and other diseases of the respiratory organs, which had steadily increased in the four preceding weeks from 102 to 138, further rose to 159 in the week under notice, but were six below the corrected average number in the corresponding week of the five years 1903-07. The causes of 18, only 0-4 per cent., of the deaths registered in the 76 towns last week were not certified either by a registered medical practitioner or by w J a coroner. All the causes of death were again duly' certified in London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, West Ham, Bradford, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and in 53 other smaller towns during the week under notice; the 18 uncertified causes of death included two in Liverpool and two in South Shields. HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS. The annual rate of mortality in eight of the principal Scotch towns, which had been equal to 14-4 and 13' 5 per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, further declined to 13 ' 4 in the week ending Oct. 3rd. During the 13 weeks of last quarter the annual death-rate in these eight towns averaged 13 -8 per 1000 and exceeded by 0' 4 the mean rate during the same period in the 76 English towns. Among the eight Scotch towns the death-rate during the week under notice ranged from 3 0 and 9 -8 in Perth and Paisley to 14 9 in Dundee and 15 -2 in Edinburgh. The 474 deaths in the eight towns showed a further decline of one from the numbers returned in the two preceding weeks, and included 63 which were referred to the principal epidemic diseases, against numbers declining from 107 to 59 in the six preceding weeks; of these 63 deaths, 30 resulted from diarrhoea, 16 from whooping-cough, six from diphtheria, five from fever," four from scarlet fever, and two from measles, but not one from small-pox. These 63 deaths were equal to an annual rate of 1' 8 per 1000, exceeding by 0' the mean rate from the same diseases in the 76 large English towns. The deaths attributed to diarrhoea in the eight Scotch towns, which had declined in the four preceding weeks from 64 to 35, further declined to 30 in the week under notice ; 13 of these occurred in Glasgow, seven in Dundee, and three both. in Edinburgh and in Leitb.' The fatal cases of whooping-cough, which had fallen in the four previous weeks from 19 to nine, rose again last week to 16, including 11 in Glasgow, three in Aberdeen, and two in Edinburgh. The six deaths from diph-theria were fewer by two than the number in the previous week; three occurred in Paisley and two in Gasgow. All the five deaths referred to "fever" were. returned in Glasgow, three being certified as cerebro-spinal' meningitis and two as enteric The fatal cases both of scarlet fever and of measles showed a slight increase ; the four of scarlet fever included two in Edinburgh and two in Dundee. The deaths referred to -diseases of the respiratory organs in the eight towns, which had been 73 and 59 in the two' previous weeks, rose again to 61 in the week under notice, but were four below the number returned in these towns in the corresponding-week of last year. The causes of 19, or 4-0 per cent., of the deaths registered during the week in the eight'towns were not certified or not stated ; in the 76 English towns during the same week the proportion of uncertified causes of death did not exceed 0' 4", per cent. -HEALTH OF DUBLIN. The annual rate of mortality in Dublin, which had been equal to 19' 3 and 20'8 8 per 1000 in the two precedingweeks, declined again to 18-0 in the week ending Oct. 3rd. During the 13 weeks of last quarter the death-rate in Dublin averaged 19' 9 per 1000 ; the mean rate during the same period did not exceed 12 5 in London and 12-9 in Edinburgh. The 136 deaths of Dublin residents during the week under notice showed a decline of 21 from the number' returned in the previous week, and included 17 which were referred to the principal epidemic diseases. against numbers declining from 44 to 18 in the six preceding weeks. These 17 deaths were equal to an annual rate f 3 2 per 1000 ; the rate during the same week from these diseases did not exceed 1' 3 in London and l' 2 in Edinburgh. Of the 17 deaths from these epidemic diseases in Dublin during last week, eight resulted from diarrhoea, four from "fever," four from measles, and one from scarlet' fever, but not one from diphtheria, whooping-cough, or small-pox. The deaths attributed to diarrhoea, which had declined in the six preceding weeks from 39 to 12, further fell to eight last week. The four deaths referred to °° fever" exceeded the numbers in recent weeks. The four fatal) cases of measles corresponded with the number in the previous week ;. and the death from scarlet fever was the first registered since the beginning of August. The 136 deaths from all causes during the week included 25 of infants under one year of age and 38 of persons aged upwards of 60 years ; the deaths of infants showed a. marked decline from the numbers in recent weeks. Three inquest cases and two deaths from violence were registered ; and 53, or 39.0 0 per' cent., of the deaths occurred n public institutions. The causes of three, or 2' 2 per cent., of the deaths registered in Dublin during the week were not. certified; in London the causes of all the 1125 deaths were duly certified, while in Edinburgh the proportion of uncer-tified causes of death was 2' 9 per cent.
doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(00)78883-0
fatcat:gtzaidyib5gnnja22ru4ll6zn4