HH62/45/145

Transcription

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Infirmary during the year, and all have been discharged cured. The prejudice
against removal which at first very much hampered the proper administration of the
Public Health Act is rapidly breaking down.
6. During the year two very important measures have been adopted by the
District Committee, viz:- the appointment of village scavengers and the adoption
of the Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act. The former, by removing the offensive
collections around houses in the more populous localities, will greatly improve the
health of the District, and the latter will enable such precautions to be taken in
connection with the first case of Infectious Disease as, it is to be hoped, will effectually
prevent the spread of the malady. Reference to the Table of the Sanitary Inspector
will show how much has been done to remove those conditions of dwellings which are
likely to foster disease. When a case of Infectious Disease has occurred all the
usual precautions have been taken, and the patient either removed to Hospital, or so
isolated at home as to ensure the safety of the public. For this reason a nurse, in
one instance, was provided where, in one house, there were several cases of Diphtheria
too ill to be removed.
The population of the Perth District, estimated to the middle of 1893, was
21,274. During the year there were 574 Births and 343 Deaths, giving a Birth-
Rate of 26.98, and a Death-Rate of 16.12, against a Birth-Rate of 23.13, and a Death-
Rate of 14.81, in 1892. The natural increase of the population of the District during
the year was 231, against 178 in 1892. The Registrar General's Report on the
Census of 1891 shows that the population of the Perth district at that time was
21,557, of whom 10,420 were males and 11,137 females. The Mortality Returns for
1893 show that 174 deaths occurred amongst males, and 169 amongst females.
Deaths in persons over 60 years of age were 160, or 46.6 per cent. of the total,
and under one year there were 45 Deaths, of which 17 were caused by Developmental
Diseases, giving an Infant Mortality of 78.39, against 94.94 in 1892. The Zymotic
Deaths were 26 during 1893, giving a Zymotic Death-Rate of 1.22, against .420 in
1892.
Respiratory Diseases caused 52 Deaths, compared with 57 in 1892. Of the
52, eleven occurred in children under one year, whilst 21 were in persons over 60 years
of age; the percentage of Deaths from these diseases was15.1 of the total.
Tubercular Diseases caused 34 Deaths (of which 24 were due to Phthisis),
forming 9.9 per cent. of the total. The number of deaths was the same in 1892, still
showing that many Deaths are due to these diseases.
Nervous Diseases caused 32 Deaths in 1893, against 24 in 1892. Of the 32
Deaths 19 were in persons over 60 years of age.
Circulatory Diseases caused 34 Deaths in 1893, against 42 in 1892. Of these 34
Deaths, 24 were in persons over 60 years of age.
Digestive Diseases caused 19 Deaths in 1893, against 18 in 1892.
Cancer and Malignant Diseases caused 16 Deaths in 1893, against 13 in 1892.
Old Age was given as the cause of 64 Deaths, or 18.6 per cent. of the total.
Violence caused 14 Deaths in 1893, against 10 in 1892.

Zymotic Diseases. -
Diphtheria caused 12 Deaths in 1893, against 4 in 1892. In all, 28 cases of the
disease were reported during the year, thus giving a case mortality of 42.8 per cent.
Only one patient was removed to Hospital. Of these cases one group of 15 occurred
in New Scone, or amongst the children attending the Public School there. As a
consequence the School had to be closed and thoroughly cleaned, and the surroundings
thereof improved, and finally the whole drainage was remodelled. There seemed to

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be no doubt that, here, the School was the centre of infection, and the resulting six
Deaths went to prove that in Diphtheria we have a most infectious and deadly
disease. The people of Scone should be warned from the events of the past year
and take measures to put their pretty village into a better sanitary condition, or they
will certainly be brought to their senses by some other such dire visitation.
Another group of six cases occurred in Redgorton Park, and was due to the
fact that a boy suffering from the disease was not suspected of having anything so
deadly the matter with him, until five other persons were infected, with the result
that two of the patients died. In another case the cause of the disease was
attributed to the child playing in a field on which town manure was being spread at
the time; another child here was infected and died. The other five cases occurred
singly in various parts of the District, and were mostly accounted for by insanitary
conditions of the houses, although in one case there was a strong suspicion that the
disease had been carried from a distance.
Scarlet Fever caused one death, the same as in 1892. In all, 43 cases of this
disease were reported, and of these 14 were removed to hospital, and all made good
recoveries; the only death which occurred was in New Scone, in a child treated at
home. In many of the cases the source of infection was traced to Perth, where the
patients were either attending school or employed in business. By taking strict
precautions as to isolation, it was found easy to prevent any serious spread of the
disease, although, in one instance, a fresh centre of infection was started just as it
was considered that the disease had been stamped out, by the carelessness of an
inexperienced medical man, who allowed a convalescent to return to school too early.
Most of the cases were of a very mild type, in fact the mildness of the disease
rendered the work of checking it more difficult, as in some of the cases it was almost
impossible to recognize the nature of the disease.
Enteric Fever caused two deaths. In one of these the nature of the disease was
very doubtful, but the sanitary condition of the premises was such as to make it very
probable that the disease was Enteric Fever. One case was imported from Broughty
Ferry, to which health resort the family had removed when the sanitary arrangements
of their house were being put right. In all, 17 cases of the disease were reported
during the year, 10 of these were credited to Bankfoot. Nearly all of the latter ran
a very protracted course, and showed a malignancy which clearly pointed to the
patients having been in a lowered state of health, caused by faulty hygienic
surroundings, previous to their receiving the specific poison. Everything possible
has been done in Bankfoot, as it is at present situated, to prevent a recurrence of the
disease, but it is hopeless to expect any marked diminution of such diseases until
a proper system of drainage is introduced. Six patients suffering from Enteric
Fever were removed to hospital, and all recovered.
Measles was prevalent in various parts of the District, and caused three deaths,
one at Errol, and two at Tibbermore. Two patients with Measles were taken to
Hospital, the first as an attempt to stamp out the disease by prompt removal, but, as
was anticipated, it had not the slightest effect, and every susceptible child who had been
in contact with the patient took the disease. The second case occurred in a common
lodging-house, and was removed in consequence. In nearly all of the cases the disease
assumed a mild type.
Whooping Cough was also prevalent, but only caused one death; the disease was
of a mild type.
Diarrhœa caused seven deaths. In five, the age at death was under one year.
Three of these infant deaths occurred in Errol, again pointing to the more densely
populated centres as the weak parts of the District's sanitary armour.

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