313
-
DEATHS FROM NERVOUS DISEASES.
The total number of deaths recorded in this group of diseases for the year 1903 is 590 as compared with 584 in 1902.
Amongst the British and Foreign community there were 27 deaths in this group for 1903 as against 20 in 1902.
Amongst the Chinese the figure for this year is 563 as against 564 in 1902. Of these 563 Chinese deaths 313 were of childeren under one month old or a percentage of 555 of the total Chinese deaths in this group. The corresponding figure for 1902 was 66.5 per cent.
The assigned causes of death in these cases were infantile convulsion, tetanus and trismus.
As in former years the Italian and French convent returns furnish the largest number of infant deaths from these diseases, the return for this year from these Institutions being 384 as compared with 442 in 1902. These Institutions take in large numbers of children left at their doors in a dying condition.
The high death-rate amongst children from these diseases has been reported on by a Committee to which I have referred under the heading Infantile Mortality. MALARIAL FEVERS.
The total number of deaths from malarial fevers during the year was 300 as compared with 425 in 1902. Amongst the Chinese alone the deaths from malarial affections was 283 as compared with 393 in 1902 and 541 in 1901. This gives a Chinese death-rate from malaria of 0.92 per 1,000 as compared with 1-3 per 1,000 in 1902. For the British and Foreign community including the Navy and Army the death-rate from malaria for 1903 was 0.91 per 1,000 as compared with 1.9 per 1,000 in 1902.
There have been 8 deaths from these causes recorded during the year amongst the troops as compared with 16 in 1902, and 9 amongst the Civil population as compared with 16 in 1902.
It is very satisfactory to note this decline in the mortality from malaria which is doubtless due to the gradual training of the nullahs in the vicinity of the City and the better understanding by the people of the importance of preventing pools of water from collecting about their houses.
The Chinese flower gardens in the City have had special attention paid. them during the year and all broken and useless pots and jars have been removed at intervals.
A great deal of work has been done in the matter of the training of nullahs in the Colony during the year.
From figures kindly supplied me by the Hon. Director of Public Works it is seen that during the year 12,270 feet of nullahs and channels have been trained. There is evidence that this training of nullahs has reduced the incidence of malaria in the Western district of the City.
BERI-BERI.
There were 387 deaths registered from beri-beri during the year comprising 8 amongst the British and Foreign.community and 379 amongst the Chinese.
In 1902 there were 1 death in the British and Foreign and 452 in the Chinese -communities from this cause.
The following table shows how the deaths from this disease were distributed throughout the year :—
January, February, March, April,
May.
June,
July,
August.
September, October,..
November.....
December,
Total....
2 British and Foreign, 32 Chinese.
19
5
.0
30
.0
29
་་
..1
23
0
22
1
.0
20
ད
0
25
,
2
37
49
2.
2
44
.0
32
19
36
*
379
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