The Telegram. — 1899-02-21 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

OFFICER'S REPORT FOR 1098. A SATISFACTORY CONDI2ION. Dr. Nutt, medical officer of healtlapreeented his report • ter the year 1898 for the Sherburne Urban Sanitary Distort. The vital daitiittics showed that during the year there hist toeell 89 deaths-44 males and 45 temales. Twenty of tile-e had occurrea in the instinuicius of the town, and 17 were of persons nut ha-longing te the dutriet. The aries at winch death had occurred were as follows :- Ulmer 1 sear, 10; over 1 and under 5,4; over 5 and under 15,7 ; over 15 and under 25, 1 ; over 25 and uneer too, 29 ; 65 and upwards, 28 ; 14 being over 80 years and 2 over 90. During the year there were lIU 41C114118 (WC to accidents' the result of vio. lence,or suicide. The death rate was 1618 per thousaud ; but, deducting the deaths of perams not belonging to the district, the actual death rate was 1309 per thousand.- i'T lie births during the year had numbered lel, giving a WC of e 2 per thousand. -The number of iietifiatrierie ureter the Infectious Diseases Act hail been 109,84 et which acre of rileaelee.-Wati reference tio the etc.:tress, the report stated that Iluring the first quarteefollioworog the severe epidemic of measles et the end of the year e 7. there were 63 cases of measles, and tee-.e were all in the School House or hOUSee connected with the school, ana it was remarkable that in the first part of the epidemic, when it was very severe throughout the town and the Elementary Schools were eioxed her a month, there was not a single WIC of measles in the King a School. Although later there were so many eases among tile scholere, lie WAS Memel ti mid that there NW HOC a ,nagle death. A few eases tot measles hail also existed during the latter parted the year, lout were not scions. There were only two caw, nm wnimiiinz cough derive the whole year but, as with measles, no death resulted. Dr. NULL thiouglit these • feet pointed to the sanitary vigilance exercise]. Otte ease only or scarlet fever hail occurred, and this had not , proved hotel-being the MSC nit a young lady visiting • the town. Three well marked cases of continued fever hal occurred-father, mother, and deughter, the result of iovercrowding in an insanitary dwelling. This ease etreoligly exemplified the necessity of obtaining an selatien Hospital, which he (Eire , MediCgi (officer) hail strenuously urged in most of his previous reports. In this ease it was quite impassiole EU get isolation, but with the a-aistiance of the Ciouncil in summoning the ordering sit nursev arid by liberal treatment in the management eof the cases, the diaelai %VAS overcome, and after a protracted convalescence the father was able to return to his wark.-Dr. Nutt thought that during the past year the health of the district had been exe,ptionally satisfactory. The fact, that teroughreit the year there hail not been a single death belengirig to the zymotic class, coupled with the low rate of ref:mule tuortality, and the avermie yearly decreasing death nee, pointed conclusively to the sanitary condition of the district. The report mentioned as a prom' of the health. eif the district the numerous cases of lougevity, there being two Me:armee one of the age of 102 and another, a man in the Workhouse, who had reached and duly celebrateil labs centenary. There were also rieverel (Ades of 90 years and upwards. •It was a remarkable coincidence that the number of deaths in public institutions and eao ot persons not belenging to the district were preta,,elv the smile ae in 1097. The births for the first arid reriond quarters ef the years were exactly the same, tooth as to nuinher and sex-16 males and 13 femalesand in the third quarter they were also identical us to minaret and sex-19 and 19. Vaccination had been thereughly and etliciently performed, and no eases nit smallpox hail occurred. The Medical Officer expressed his pleasure at the improvements effected in the provision of cottages for the working classea, and he thought public thanks were due to the Cottage Building Society tor the erection of a large number of cottages. lie Also spoke of the great boon conferred on the townspeople by the purifying of the conduit water supply, whiter was now continuously running. The report also spoke of the dangerous practice of throwing orange peel about the pavements, arid the writer eartically canal the Cod:liars attention to it, and hope•l Elea this reference to the carless practice would hive norm indirect influence in mitigating the nuieence. lie felt he should riot be doing his duty as a Medical I (Meer if he failed to mention another matter. although in deice so he knew he should incur the displeiteure of some. It was with reference ao thirst increased habit of juvenile enierkrig, which be was merry to say wa4 much in evidence Sherloome, probably due to Lae cheapness and all cm ivenience of the cigarette of to-day. He was reierriag eepecially to chilitren, and it ITU rlO untaual thing tie see them now attempting the pernicious habit in the streets. 'ehese precocious boys were doing themselves infinite harm, developing early abnormal eliseases arid iiistertel constatutioris arid conditions rof life, unfitting them for everything, and most frequently leading to a premature grave. It the discipline of the parents and selemlinaster was inane itent in the matter, he felt it MISS high time the question was taken up by the i:ll4o.ifitllS iof the public health. After referring to the " nomenclature of the town," hewllich there were many defects treciang rectifying, Dr. Nutt conclude-I by stating that the main features of the report showed that sanitation in Sherborne wee progreasive, mini that the past year had been marked by many improvements. foremost among which were the arreintote to provide better house.; for the working class's. THE SEWAGE DIBPosAL