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RECENT SUMMER DIARRHŒA IN ENGLISH TOWNS.
890
RECENT SUMMER DIARRH(EA IN ENGLISH TOWNS.
straining at stool found five metres of small intestine children under this age. In view of the admittedly intimate protruding from the anus. Professor Adelmann mentions connexion between the mortality from summer diarrhcea and a case seen by Pyle where a young woman who temperature and rainfall the meteorological conditions prehad been kicked and thrown down experienced great vailing during the past two months are not without difficulty the next time she went to stool, and after interest. The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich violent straining forced out a mass of small intestine and a during the five weeks ending August 1st was 62 10 F. and large quantity of blood. She died shortly afterwards and at 0’ 40 below the average in 65 years, and 3 66 inches the necropsy the abdominal organs were found considerably of rain were measured on 12 days. During the four weeks 29th the mean an wound extensive temperature ending August displaced, the mass protruding through in the posterior wall of the rectum consisting of part of the did not exceed 59’8° and was 2-0° below the average, and eaecum and nearly the whole of the jejunum. Roch6l actually 2’ 89 inches of rain were measured also on 12 days. The saw a woman who had previously consulted him for a mean temperature in July, therefore, differed but slightly vesico-vaginal fistula pass through a prolapsed rectum a from the average, while that in August was distinctly below the average, and the rainfall somewhat exceeded the average mass of small intestine while he was examining her. Two cases of female children where wounds of the rectum in each month. The marked increase in the fatality of diarrhoea among children during August can therefore were produced by an enema tube and a fall on a broken chair were mentioned in a clinical lecture delivered scarcely be attributed to meteorological conditions, as the respectively Mr. G. H. at but Makins St. Thomas’s no by Hospital,2 pro- mean temperature was considerably lower than in July. trusion of the small intestine occurred in either. Stuthgard Still more difficult to explain are the startling variations in of Copenhagen saw a man who with the idea of curing the fatality of this disease in different towns, unless they be excessive constipation had pushed a pole into his rectum attributed to varying degrees of ignorance and neglect in the so as to cause perforation. Dr. J. B.. Neal has recorded3 care and treatment of infants. In the seven weeks ending the case of a woman in the Wandsworth and Clapham Sept. 5th, for instance, 178 deaths resulted from diarrhoea in Infirmary who seems to have been thrown on her face, a the South Wales mining district of Rhondda, against but small cucumber having then been forced up her rectum, 62 in Cardiff, which has a much larger and more distinctly the anterior wall of which was torn half across 3- inches urban population. The marked difference between the mean from the anus. It has been found by experiment that rates of mortality from diarrhoea in Lancashire and Yorkshire violence of this kind caused rupture into Douglas’s pouch manufacturing towns has, moreover, never been satisfactorily if the body was prone but that the force impinged against explained. the sacrum if it was supine. -
RECENT SUMMER DIARRHŒA IN ENGLISH TOWNS. THERE are few features of urban mortality that have received from sanitary experts more studious attention than the annual recurrence, with varying intensity, of infantile summer diarrhoea, and yet no satisfactory measures for its control and abatement have yet been devised. During the recent early summer the rate of mortality in the 76 large English towns, dealt with in the Registrar-General’s weekly
A TELEGRAM from the governor of Mauritius received at the Colonial Office on Sept. llth states that 2 cases of plague were notified for the week ending on that date and that there were 2 deaths from the disease. The Department of Public Health of Queensland, in a bulletin dated August 8th, states that for the week ending on that date one case of
plague was reported-namely,
a
man,
aged 50 years.
WE regret to announce the death, at the early age of 41 years, of Mr. Edward Percy Paton, the dean of the Medical returns, was unprecedentedly low, but during August the School of the Westminster Hospital. Mr. Paton, Mr. H. L. The deaths death-rate showed a very marked increase. Barnard, and Dr. Bertram Abrahams were three of the best registered in these towns during the four weeks ending known of the younger men attached to the great metropolitan the 29th of last month exceeded by no less than hospitals and their loss will be severely felt. 4012 the average mortality recorded in the preceding five weeks of July, of which increase 938 occurred in London and 3074 in the 75 towns outside the OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON metropolis. Of this marked excess of deaths in the 76 REPORT THE FEEBLE-MINDED. towns during August, 3138 were deaths of infants under one year of age, of which 728 were recorded in London and 24<10 in the 75 towns outside London. During the five weeks I. THE report commences with a consideration of the Poorending August lst, the average weekly number of deaths in the 76 towns attributed to diarrhoea did not exceed 166, law and its effects upon the condition of the mentally whereas in the succeeding four weeks ending August 29th defective in towns and in the country, apart from the An investigator of the Commission writing of the weekly average increased to 923; the aggregate excess metropolis. certain northern unions, reports that there the majority of in the number of fatal cases of this disease during the four the mentally affected persons met with in the Poor-law weeks was 3026, of which 670 occurred in London and 2356 institutions are sufficiently looked after though their condiin the 75 provincial towns. It may be noted that of the tion can by no means be regarded as satisfactory.’’They 810 deaths in London referred to diarrhoea in the four are perfectly free to leave the workhouse at will, and when it weeks of August, 625 were of infants under one year of age is borne in mind how many young women, who have already had illegitimate children, there are amongst them, it will be and 159 of children aged between one and five years; thus only recognised what grave risk there is, in both sexes, of the 26 of the 810 deaths from this cause occurred among persons further propagation of their defects. The occupation of those aged above five years. It may, moreover, be fairly assumed who are in the workhouse is also capable of radical improvethat practically the whole of the marked increase of mor- ment ; many of them could do, under efficient supervision, a certain amount of useful work, which would make them more tality during August occurred among young children under serviceable members of society than they are at present in five years of age, since of the recorded increase in London enforced idleness or the roughest or most doing only at all ages and from all causes (938) 905 were deaths of unskilled work." Of the classes of feeble-minded persons. there are several. There are those either born in the 1 Revue 1853. Médico-Chirurgicale, workhouse and who are nearly always illegitimate, or 2 THE LANCET, Oct. 28th, 1899, p. 1145. 3 THE LANCET, Feb. 4th, 1882, p. 182. who enter at a very early age owing to the death of the-
RECENT SUMMER DIARRH(EA IN ENGLISH TOWNS.
straining at stool found five metres of small intestine children under this age. In view of the admittedly intimate protruding from the anus. Professor Adelmann mentions connexion between the mortality from summer diarrhcea and a case seen by Pyle where a young woman who temperature and rainfall the meteorological conditions prehad been kicked and thrown down experienced great vailing during the past two months are not without difficulty the next time she went to stool, and after interest. The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich violent straining forced out a mass of small intestine and a during the five weeks ending August 1st was 62 10 F. and large quantity of blood. She died shortly afterwards and at 0’ 40 below the average in 65 years, and 3 66 inches the necropsy the abdominal organs were found considerably of rain were measured on 12 days. During the four weeks 29th the mean an wound extensive temperature ending August displaced, the mass protruding through in the posterior wall of the rectum consisting of part of the did not exceed 59’8° and was 2-0° below the average, and eaecum and nearly the whole of the jejunum. Roch6l actually 2’ 89 inches of rain were measured also on 12 days. The saw a woman who had previously consulted him for a mean temperature in July, therefore, differed but slightly vesico-vaginal fistula pass through a prolapsed rectum a from the average, while that in August was distinctly below the average, and the rainfall somewhat exceeded the average mass of small intestine while he was examining her. Two cases of female children where wounds of the rectum in each month. The marked increase in the fatality of diarrhoea among children during August can therefore were produced by an enema tube and a fall on a broken chair were mentioned in a clinical lecture delivered scarcely be attributed to meteorological conditions, as the respectively Mr. G. H. at but Makins St. Thomas’s no by Hospital,2 pro- mean temperature was considerably lower than in July. trusion of the small intestine occurred in either. Stuthgard Still more difficult to explain are the startling variations in of Copenhagen saw a man who with the idea of curing the fatality of this disease in different towns, unless they be excessive constipation had pushed a pole into his rectum attributed to varying degrees of ignorance and neglect in the so as to cause perforation. Dr. J. B.. Neal has recorded3 care and treatment of infants. In the seven weeks ending the case of a woman in the Wandsworth and Clapham Sept. 5th, for instance, 178 deaths resulted from diarrhoea in Infirmary who seems to have been thrown on her face, a the South Wales mining district of Rhondda, against but small cucumber having then been forced up her rectum, 62 in Cardiff, which has a much larger and more distinctly the anterior wall of which was torn half across 3- inches urban population. The marked difference between the mean from the anus. It has been found by experiment that rates of mortality from diarrhoea in Lancashire and Yorkshire violence of this kind caused rupture into Douglas’s pouch manufacturing towns has, moreover, never been satisfactorily if the body was prone but that the force impinged against explained. the sacrum if it was supine. -
RECENT SUMMER DIARRHŒA IN ENGLISH TOWNS. THERE are few features of urban mortality that have received from sanitary experts more studious attention than the annual recurrence, with varying intensity, of infantile summer diarrhoea, and yet no satisfactory measures for its control and abatement have yet been devised. During the recent early summer the rate of mortality in the 76 large English towns, dealt with in the Registrar-General’s weekly
A TELEGRAM from the governor of Mauritius received at the Colonial Office on Sept. llth states that 2 cases of plague were notified for the week ending on that date and that there were 2 deaths from the disease. The Department of Public Health of Queensland, in a bulletin dated August 8th, states that for the week ending on that date one case of
plague was reported-namely,
a
man,
aged 50 years.
WE regret to announce the death, at the early age of 41 years, of Mr. Edward Percy Paton, the dean of the Medical returns, was unprecedentedly low, but during August the School of the Westminster Hospital. Mr. Paton, Mr. H. L. The deaths death-rate showed a very marked increase. Barnard, and Dr. Bertram Abrahams were three of the best registered in these towns during the four weeks ending known of the younger men attached to the great metropolitan the 29th of last month exceeded by no less than hospitals and their loss will be severely felt. 4012 the average mortality recorded in the preceding five weeks of July, of which increase 938 occurred in London and 3074 in the 75 towns outside the OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON metropolis. Of this marked excess of deaths in the 76 REPORT THE FEEBLE-MINDED. towns during August, 3138 were deaths of infants under one year of age, of which 728 were recorded in London and 24<10 in the 75 towns outside London. During the five weeks I. THE report commences with a consideration of the Poorending August lst, the average weekly number of deaths in the 76 towns attributed to diarrhoea did not exceed 166, law and its effects upon the condition of the mentally whereas in the succeeding four weeks ending August 29th defective in towns and in the country, apart from the An investigator of the Commission writing of the weekly average increased to 923; the aggregate excess metropolis. certain northern unions, reports that there the majority of in the number of fatal cases of this disease during the four the mentally affected persons met with in the Poor-law weeks was 3026, of which 670 occurred in London and 2356 institutions are sufficiently looked after though their condiin the 75 provincial towns. It may be noted that of the tion can by no means be regarded as satisfactory.’’They 810 deaths in London referred to diarrhoea in the four are perfectly free to leave the workhouse at will, and when it weeks of August, 625 were of infants under one year of age is borne in mind how many young women, who have already had illegitimate children, there are amongst them, it will be and 159 of children aged between one and five years; thus only recognised what grave risk there is, in both sexes, of the 26 of the 810 deaths from this cause occurred among persons further propagation of their defects. The occupation of those aged above five years. It may, moreover, be fairly assumed who are in the workhouse is also capable of radical improvethat practically the whole of the marked increase of mor- ment ; many of them could do, under efficient supervision, a certain amount of useful work, which would make them more tality during August occurred among young children under serviceable members of society than they are at present in five years of age, since of the recorded increase in London enforced idleness or the roughest or most doing only at all ages and from all causes (938) 905 were deaths of unskilled work." Of the classes of feeble-minded persons. there are several. There are those either born in the 1 Revue 1853. Médico-Chirurgicale, workhouse and who are nearly always illegitimate, or 2 THE LANCET, Oct. 28th, 1899, p. 1145. 3 THE LANCET, Feb. 4th, 1882, p. 182. who enter at a very early age owing to the death of the-