Bridport, Beaminster, and Lyme Regis Telegram and Dorset, Somerset, and Devon Advertiser. — 1881-02-04 (Bridport, Dorset, England)

THE HEALTH OF THE BOROUGH. The Medical Officer of Health presented his annual report on the general health of the borough during the past year. It was a most exhaustive report, and the following statement will contain the matters of general interest referred to Having inspected systematically, with and without your inspector, the whole of the borough, and kept myself Informed of the influences which might affect injuriously the public health therein, I beg to hand you this, my annual report for the year 1880, respecting the origin and distribution of diseases. I am of opinion that one bad case of typhoid fever in Fordington was due to drinking water from an old well, which is used for culioary purposes in the same neighbourhood; there were two other milder cases which originated from inhaling horrible smells, emanating from a heap of decomposing matter, proper precautions having been at once taken, the further spread of the disease was prevented in this particullsr street, in which it might have destroyed many lives, being by far the most unhealthy and most densely crowded spot in your borough; one other C6BO was treat,td in the hospital, but no deaths from this disease have been recorded. In the newly-built Orchard-street there have been three deaths from scar atlas, and its complications during July, brought on by getting out of doors too soon after remise ring from the fever; fumigation, disinfection of the walls of the room, &c., prevented the occurrence of any other cases, if we except one child under five years of age. The deaths due to diarrhcea and its complications were 10 in number, and were all under one year of age ; of the other children attacked, only one under five years of age recovered. There were five cases of measles, which terminated fatally, the oldest being two years of •age. One fatal case of whooping cough, followed by convulsions, occdrred on June 25th, the subject being a little girl one year old. In the County Hospital one child died of croup, after every means had been resorted to in order to save the life. Amongst the chief sanitary matters that have been done may te mentioned the followine :—Fif teen pig-styes have been so altered as not to be injurious. to health; five entirely removed, being too close to dwelling houses ; 10 drains I.ave been put in order ; two have been trapped ; three casts of over crowding have been abated in one case I found, on measuring, only 247 cubic feet for each person, which is less than half the minimum allowed for soldiers; boiling up of refuse prevented; accumulations of decaying animal and vegetable matter taken away after 24 hours' notice, besides some 1,580 1 acl.3 of refuse carted away by the scavenger ; one slaughtahouse, not kept as it should be, greatly improve', &. Total number of ferths, 243 (108 wales, 135 females) ; registered thus: Ist quarter, 78(38 males) ; 2nd, 68 (22 males) ; 3rd. 46(24 miles); 4th, 51 (24 males); 41 being born aiive in the Holy Triut v parish, 14 boys :35 in Si-. Peter's, 16 bays ; 25 in All Saint':, 9 boys ; 83 in East Fordington, 39 boys; 59 in West Foroington, 30 boys; making 142 (69 boys) in Fordington and 101 (39 boys) in D3rchestsr ; thus it will be seen the births exceed the deaths by 202, giving a birthrate of 32.4 per 1,000 ; respecting the 141 deaths (84 rnal9s and 57 females), 19 occurred in Holy Trinity parish, 24 in St. Peter's, 14 in All Saint's, 47 in East Fordington, 24 in West Fordiegton, and 13 in tee hospital; those in West Ferdington include the five deaths in the R.H.A. Barracks, also the two who died in the new Infantry Depot—a young soldier of consumption, aged 19, and a male infant of five months (diarrhcea and couvulsions); and in St. Peter's the inquest held on the body of a woman who died in H.M. Prison, in Ddcember, from chronic disease of liver; there was another inquest over the body of a young man in All Saint's parish, who committed suicide by hanging himself to the balusters; both cases were the result of drink ; bronchitis caused 18 deaths; heart disease, 13 (in 7 of these dropsy supervened, consumption, 12; old age, diarrheas., eaeh 9, &c.; the population being at least7,4s (census 1871,6,915) gives a death-rate of 188 per 1,000. Isl.) less than 60 of the children died before attaining 5 years of age. and 49 ,of these died under one year, showing 196 per 1,000 as the rate of infant mortality, which is much higher than it should be—in other words. very nearly one in every five died before they were a twelvemonth old. This, however, is lower than the rate of mortality amongst French children (21'7 per cent.).. This high rate I attribute t artificial feeding, to the densely crowded district of Fordington, surrounding Dorahester, causing FO many cases of fatal diarrhcea above referred to, for if we deduct the deaths of these 37 infants who died in this particular district we have a very low rate—only 48 per 1,000 as the rate of infant mortality for all the parishes of Dorchester combined. Two new slaughter-houses have been duly licensed. After my inspections, making a total of eight, the cowaheds I have often visited to prevent disease being spread by the agency of milk. Having appended the forms H and B, containing the deaths and new cases of sickness in your borough ducroinyg the past twelvemouth for your perusal, and sent a p of this report to the Local Government Board, I beg to remain, gentlemen, yours mo-t obediently. E. J. Day, F.C.8.. &c., Medic al Officer of Health.—His Worship the Mayor and Corporation of Dorchester, Feb.  Ist, 1881.