The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-04-25 00:00:00

THE PURUC NEALTA_A_THE DORCHEBTER

DISTRICT.

At a remit fiestirm of the Rani Sanitary Author!q
Afffil report of the Medical Officer, Mr. B. J.
Der, was pesessied, the following Wag maw* the

most important extracts, showing UM general health to
be in a most satisfactory stew
The district confab's 18.405 mares. and "4 • I•=tia•
of (owns 1881), heisc• total decrees. the
census taken in 1871 of 110. Th• 007 two Caael Of typhoid
Wet proved fatal=one in Puddletown pariah, and the
other in the °Mounts direction, at Broadmarne the came
I discovered in the foram cam. alter • wilful inVlStigli-
tion with your Inspeciat, was not dee to the drinking
water from the well. nor to the milk, but to defects is
the drain connected with the indoor closet; them were,
of coarse remedied without debt) ; the water, in the Whir
case, was the cause of the fever, consequently the well warn
doted, end the tenants of the ix oottages drink new frees
• pure IMMO, a neighbouring well. An old woman in
the workhouse succumbed to diarrbma, seed OS; • child
aged lb mouths at Peddletown to measles and &Salty,
another seed 11 months to whooping cough at Oatlee, an
infant; of five weeks to same disease. followed by coeval.
mons at Whitcomb.. and • woman, aged 41. at Puddle.
wen. 10 erysipsies Nothing oriel for human food has
been aliened for sole. Tee report then details some of
the important sanitary improvements effected. On the
31st of May a noble, wes served on the Town Council,
mune as the tfelbea gesibity Authority, to prevent the
further pollution of the river Fronts by.sensgs, and steps
have ems taken to acciornidish this ••On, an't is.
The rate of infant mortally. measured by the proportion
of deaths under one ye., if age to children born, has been
reduced from 116 in isn, to 111 in 1890. and gull further
lowered duriag the pest twelvemonth to 861 per 1,000 • this
I. most mallet actory. Only 18 died (against 21 in
before attaining years of age; in other wards itt 14
pet coat. lower than in 1810. Thirty-nine people, how-
ever, lived over sixty piers of age, against forty three
in the previous year. The following paraereldt
occurred in my last annual report ;—" It is oarless toe
birth-este is the lowest I have had to record wow the
autumn of 1877. when I was atiPealted to thni district.
To this I am pleased to be in a position to add that the
death-rate has never been so low as it was is the past year
during the same time." It le st.W more remarkable that
the birthrate during 1881 was the highest recorded, and
the death-rate the lowest, as will be seen from the follow.
log {ebbs, the figures in parentheses refer to the wonky
when the birth and deaths in the only public institution.
the workhouse, luta been excluded ;
Bit the Birth-rats Death' Deathrete
(pee 1000) (ow 1000)
1878 136 87(501 sr 17.4(15.14
1879 145 SI (al. 4) 11l 11.8(11.6)
laio 124 14.86246) 88 17.1 136)
tall 150 50(50.8) 77 15.4 OS 19
I do not believe, however, that this gradual decrease of
deaths will continue through the present fear—that is
more than the most sanguine would aspect however, I
shed, of course, do my outmost to reduce thedeathratsa•
low as I am able by getting the people {houseclean to take
an Interest in everything Mat is does for their health sod
that of the rising generation. aa. light males and Ave
females died in the workhouse. being together five lees
than in 1810.