HH62/1/BANFF/37

Transcription

[Page] 6

These may roughly be divided into natural and artificial. The
former include the physical conformation, the situation, the
geology, and the meteorology of the District. The latter, and with
them we are more immediately concerned, include the population,
its density, the occupation of the inhabitants, the nature of their
house accommodation and surroundings, the diseases most
commonly met with amongst them, and how far the incidence of
such diseases may be modified or obviated by hygienic measures.
As a guide to these last-mentioned conditions, we have to make
ourselves acquainted with the vital statistics of the District - the
Birth and Death Rates, with the cause of, and age at Death.
Knowledge regarding the foregoing points must be combined with
personal observation and research.
The District is an inland one. Generally speaking the
population is sparse and a purely agricultural one, occupying
detached houses. Only four large villages exist, with two or
three smaller hamlets. The total village population may be set
down at under 3000, leaving about 12,000 in the purely rural
Districts. The villages are all fairly well supplied with water,
and in one a system of sewerage has been introduced. Of late,
much seems to have been done in the way of improving the
cottage accommodation in some parts of the District, but a great
deal still remains to be done, more particularly with regard to the
surroundings of the dwellings.
Judged from its natural conditions, the health of the
District should be good, and in spite of the artificial conditions
being, in many cases, not what they ought to be - thanks to
fresh air and pure water - the vital statistics are satisfactory.
During 1891, 409 Births and 197 Deaths were Registered in the
District, giving a Birth-Rate 0f 27.8 per 1000 living, and a
Death-Rate of 13.38. Thirty of the Deaths were those of infants
under one year of age; so that the Infantile Mortality was equal
to 73.3 per 1000 Births. Eighty-seven of the Deaths registered
were those of persons aged 60 years and upwards. The Death-
Rate, however, is no criterion of the amount of dishealth in a
community; but from what I have been able to learn, this
District has not suffered so severely as some others have of late.
The Infectious Disease (Notification) Act was adopted by
the Local Authority last May, and came into force on the 1st of
July. Forty-six cases of the diseases scheduled under the Act
were notified between July 1st and December 31st, equal to 6.25
per 1000 living.
The various data given above, being for one year only, are
not sufficient to enable us to arrive at a decided conclusion. For
such a purpose, we must have similar data, extending over a
series of years. The data as to the incidence of infectious
disease in the District during past years is unfortunately unob-
tainable; but the annual reports of the Registrar-General

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enable us to calculate the Birth and Death Rates for previous
years. The following table compiled from these reports shows
what these rates have been for the District (including Burghs)
for five years 1886-90:-

[Table inserted]

2. - General and Specific Inquiries.

Since my appointment, I have inquired generally into the
sanitary state of the district, especially into that of the villages.
Owing to a complaint as to pollution of the river Isla, the
Sanitary Inspector and I inquired into the matter. Reference
will be made to this in a future report.

3. - Advice, Certificates, Offensive Trades, &c.

I have granted no Certificates.
On account of complaints, partly as to an effluvium nuisance
and partly as to pollution of the river Isla, the Sanitary Inspector
and I inquired into the condition of a Slaughter-house and Manure
Manufactory situated in Keith Parish. We found that the
drainage was run directly into the Isla, with only a species of
intercepting grease trap. The killing-house was built of wood. The
water supply was deficient, and the killing and boiling sheds were
not sufficiently ventilated. At a subsequent meeting with the
Manager, he kindly agreed to carry our our suggestions as to
treatment of the sewage, improved water supply, and ventilation.

4. - Bake-Houses.

Five Bake-houses have been inspected within the district.
Generally speaking, their condition is fair, but I found that lime-
washing was not being attended to so frequently as it should,
through ignorance of the provisions of the Act of 1883.

5. - Hospitals.

The Local Authority possess no Hospital of their own for the
treatment of cases of Infectious Disease.