845

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

IN 77 of the largest English towns 7906 births and 3940deaths were registered during the week ending Sept. 3rd.The annual rate of mortality in these towns, which had in-creased from 10-7 to 12-1 per 1000 during the four pre-ceding weeks, was again 12-1 last week. During the firstnine weeks of the current quarter the annual death-rate inthese towns averaged only 11 - 4 per 1000, and in Londonduring the same period the death-rate, calculated on the

probably over-estimated population, did not exceed 10’ 5

per 1000. The lowest reported annual rates of mor-

tality during last week in these 77 towns were 2- 6 in

Hornsey, 4-3 in Smethwick, 4-7 in Leyton, and 4-9 9in Bournemouth ; the rates in the rest of the towns

ranged upwards to 20’4 in Grimsby and in Sunderland,24’7 in Birkenhead, and 25-0 in Tynemouth. In Londonlast week the reported death-rate did not exceed 10’ 8per 1000. The 3940 deaths registered last week in the77 towns showed an increase of 10 upon the low number inthe previous week, and included 703 which were referred tothe principal epidemic diseases, against numbers which hadincreased from 347 to 720 in the four preceding weeks ; ofthese 703 deaths, 527 resulted from diarrhoea, 68 frommeasles, 57 from whooping-cough, 18 from scarlet fever,17 from enteric fever, and 16 from diphtheria, but notone from small-pox. The mean annual rate of mortalityfrom these diseases in the 77 towns last week was

equal to 2 - 2 per 1000, against 1. 5 and 2.2 2 in the twopreceding weeks. No death from any of these epidemicdiseases was registered last week in Willesden, Croydon,Walthamstow, Southampton, Halifax, or in nine othersmaller towns ; the annual death-rates therefrom rangedupwards, however, to 6,6 6 in Preston, 6’7 in Bootle, 6 8 inBirkenhead, and 7-1 in Hull. The deaths attributed todiarrhoea in the 77 towns, which had risen from 115 to

516 during the previous four weeks, further rose to 527 lastweek; the highest annual rates from this cause during theweek were 5.2 2 in Preston, 5’3 3 in Burnley, 5’9 9 in Bootle,6’3in Hull, and 6’4 in Birkenhead. The 68 fatal cases ofmeasles showed a slight decline from the number in the

previous week, and caused an annual rate of 2 - 9 in Oldham.The 57 deaths from whooping-cough showed a further declinefrom the numbers in recent weeks, and was the lowest numberrecorded in any week of this year ; the highest recordedrates from this disease during the week under notice were1’6 in Rotherham and in Gateshead and 2’1 in Grimsby.The 18 fatal cases of scarlet fever showed a slight declinefrom the number in the previous week, and included 5 inLondon, 3 in Liverpool, and 2 each in West Ham, Coventry,and Manchester. The deaths from enteric fever numbered17, against numbers declining from 15 to 7 in the four

previous weeks ; 3 deaths were returned in London and 2 inPortsmouth. The 16 fatal cases of diphtheria showed a con-siderable decline from the numbers in recent weeks, andwere fewer than in any previous week of this year ; 5 deathswere recorded in London. The number of scarlet fever

patients under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylumsand in the London Fever Hospital, which had been1490, 1423, and 1447 in the three preceding weeks, roseto 1455 at the end of the week under notice ; 183new cases of this disease were admitted to these hospitalsduring the week, against 163, 143, and 159 in the threepreceding weeks. The 1005 deaths from all causes inLondon last week included 115 which were referred to

pneumonia and other diseases of the respiratory system,showing a decline from the numbers recorded in the two

previous weeks, and were 8 below the corrected averagenumber in the corresponding week of the five years 1905-09.The causes of 33, or 0’8 per cent., of the deaths registeredduring the week in the 77 towns were not certified eitherby a registered medical practitioner or by a coroner. All thecauses of death registered during the week were duly certi-fied in London, Leeds, Bristol, Bradford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, and in 53 other smaller towns ; the 33uncertified causes of death in the 77 towns included 6 inLiverpool, 4 in Stoke-upon-Trent, 3 in Birmingham, and 3 inSheffield. -

HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS.

In eight of the principal Scotch towns 779 births and 483deaths were registered during the week ending Sept. 3rd.

The annual rate of mortality in these towns, which had beenequal to 13 ’ 3 and 13 - 6 per 1000 in the two preceding weeks,declined to 13 3 in the week under notice. During thefirst nine weeks of the current quarter the death-rate inthese towns averaged 12-7 per 1000, and exceeded by1’ 3 the mean rate during the same period in the 77largest English towns. The annual death-rates in the weekunder notice in these eight Scotch towns ranged from7-2 2 in Leith and 9-3 in Aberdeen to 16-8 inPerth and 20-2 in Dundee. The 483 deaths from allcauses in the eight towns last week showed a decrease of9 from the number in the previous week, and included 93which were referred to the principal epidemic diseases,against numbers rising from 44 to 83 in the four precedingweeks ; of these 93 deaths, 68 resulted from diarrhoea, 10from whooping-cough, 7 from diphtheria, 5 from scarletfever, and 3 from enteric fever, but not one from small-poxor from measles. The mean annual rate of mortality fromthese epidemic diseases in the eight towns last week wasequal to 2 - 6 per 1000, against 2 - 2 from the same diseasesin the 77 English towns. The deaths in the eighttowns attributed to diarrhoea, which had increased from20 to 63 during the five preceding weeks, further rose

to 68 last week, of which 41 occurred in Glasgow,8 in Paisley, 7 in Dundee, 6 in Greenock, and 4 inAberdeen. Of the 10 fatal cases of whooping-cough, whichslightly exceeded the numbers in recent weeks, 6 were recordedin Glasgow and 2 in Greenock. The deaths from diphtheria,which had been 6 in each of the two preceding weeks, were7 last week, and included 3 in Glasgow and 2 in Edinburgh.Of the 5 deaths from scarlet fever 3 occurred in Glasgow and1 each in Edinburgh and Dundee. The 3 deaths from entericfever were registered in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Perth. Thedeaths referred to diseases of the respiratory system in theeight towns, which had been 39 and 49 in the two pre-ceding weeks, declined to 47 last week, and were 2 in excessof the number recorded in the corresponding week of lastyear. The causes of 13, or 2’ 7 per cent., of the deaths inthe eight towns last week were not certified or not stated ;in the 77 English towns the proportion of uncertified causesof death last week did not exceed 0- 8 per cent.

HEALTH OF IRISH TOWNS.

In 22 town districts of Ireland, having an estimatedpopulation of 1,151,790 persons, 655 births and 335 deathswere registered during the week ending Sept. 3rd. Themean annual rate of mortality in these towns, whichhad increased from 15’ 3 to 17’ 1, in the four pre-ceding weeks, declined to 15-2 in the week under notice.During the first nine weeks of the current quarter theannual death-rate in these Irish towns averaged 16-1 per1000 ; the mean rate during the same period did notexceed 11-4 in the 77 largest English towns and 12’7in the eight principal Scotch towns. The annual death-rate during last week was equal to 14’9 in Dublin,16-1 in Belfast, 13-0 in Cork, 14-4 in Londonderry, 17-8in Limerick, and 13-6 6 in Waterford ; the mean annual death-rate last week in the 16 smallest of these Irish towns was

equal to 14-8 per 1000. The 335 deaths from all causesin the 22 town districts last week showed a decrease of42 upon the low number returned in the previous week, andincluded 47 which were referred to the principal epidemicdiseases, against 53 and 74 in the two previous weeks ; these47 deaths were equal to an annual rate of 2’ 1 per 1000 ;the rate last week from the same diseases was 2’ 2 per1000 in the 77 English towns, and 2- 6 in the eightScotch towns. The 47 deaths from these epidemicdiseases in the Irish towns last week included 39 fromdiarrhoea, 4 from whooping-cough, 2 from enteric fever, 1from scarlet fever, and 1 from diphtheria, but notone from small-pox or from measles. The deathsattributed to diarrhcea in the 22 towns, which hadincreased from 9 to 54 in the five previous weeks,declined to 39 last week, of which 16 occurred in Belfast,12 in Dublin, and 5 in Londonderry. The 4 deaths fromwhooping-cough and the fatal cases of scarlet fever and

diphtheria were recorded in Dublin. The 2 deaths fromenteric fever were registered in Dublin and Londonderry.The deaths in the 22 towns last week included 40 which werereferred to pneumonia and other diseases of the respiratorysystem, against 42 and 50 in the two preceding weeks. Thecauses of 14, or 4-2 2 per cent. of the deaths registered lastweek in the Irish towns were not certified ; in the 77 English

846

towns the proportion of uncertified deaths last week did not Iexceed 0’8 8 per cent., while it was equal to 2-7 in the eight IScotch towns. - -

THE SERVICES.

ROYAL NAVY MEDICAL SERVICE.THE following appointments are notified: -Fleet-S urgeon

S. H. Birt to the Balrnnral Castle, on commissioning.Surgeon: R. J. G. Parnell to the Balmoral Castle, oncommissioning.

ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE.

Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Calling, from the Royal ArmyMedical Corps, to be Colonel, vice D. O’Sullivan, retired.

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS.

Lieutenant-Colonel William Heffernan retires on retired pay.Captain Leonard Bousfield, from the Seconded List, is

restored to the establishment.Colonel M. W. O’Keefe, from Rawal Pindi, has arrived

home and taken over his duties as Inspector of MedicalServices. Colonel R. H. S. Sawyer has been appointedAdministrative Medical Officer, Dublin District. An

exchange on the roster for service abroad has been

approved between Lieutenant-Colonel C. T. Blackwell andLieutenant-Colonel R. H. Hall. Lieutenant-Colonel H. M.

Sloggett has been selected for increased rate of payunder Article 317 of the Royal Warrant. Major C. K.

Morgan, from Dundalk, has been selected for appoint-ment as Instructor at the Royal Army Medical CorpsSchool of Instruction at Aldershot in succession to MajorC. C. Fleming, D.S.O., and has been ordered to join onSept. 7th. Major E. G. Browne, Dublin, will embark forIndia about Oct. 5th next for duty in the NorthernCommand. Major G. B. Carter, on return to duty fromsick leave, has been appointed to the Irish Commandand posted to the Dublin District. Captain M. Sinclair, fromSialkot, has been posted to Cork. Captain W. Mitchell hasbeen transferred from Ambala to the Station Hospital atSubathu. Captain F. A. McCammon has been granted leaveof absence for six months. An exchange on the roster forservice abroad has been approved by the War Office betweenCaptain P. H. Henderson and Captain R. Rutherford.

Captain A. W. Gibson has been placed under orders for atour of service at Gibraltar. Captain B. B. Burke, fromDevonport, has embarked for West Africa. Captain H. W.Russell, on termination of his course of instruction at the

Royal Army Medical College, London, has joined LondonDistrict for duty. Captain E. J. H. Luxmore has been

appointed Staff-Surgeon to Meerut Cantonment. CaptainC. R. Millar, Cork, has been placed under orders forservice in West Africa and will embark early inOctober next. Captain W. Riach has been appointedspecialist in Ophthalmology to the Queen Alexandra MilitaryHospital, Millbank. Captain F. Ashe, from Colchester, hasbeen selected for service in India, and has been appointedto the Southern Command, embarking on the l7ongolc fromSouthampton on Sept. 21st. Captain L. F. F. Winslow hasbeen transferred from Bradford to Lichfield. Captain A. C.Vidal, from Bloemfontein, has taken up duty at Pretoria.Lieutenant H. W. Carson has been transferred from Nowsherato Peshawar Station Hospital. Lieutenant A. G. Jones fromBulford Camp, has joined at Tidworth, Salisbury Plain.Lieutenant F. J. Stuart has been appointed a specialist in

Dermatology and Venereal Diseases to the 7th (Meerut)Division. Lieutenant E. T. Gaunt has been appointed onprobation and posted to the Military Hospital at Shorn cliffe.Lieutenant H. H. Leeson has been selected for service withthe Egyptian Army, embarking on Sept. 7th.

INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.

Captains to be Majors : Thomas Shephercl Novis and HerbertJoseph Richard Twigg. Lieutenants to be Captains : RobertHenry Bott, Edmund Brodie Munro, William Edward ReesWilliams, Sorabji Jamasji Bhathena, Frederick O’DowdeFawcett, Joseph Frain James, IIngh William Acton, VivianBartley Green-Armytage, Arthur Norman Dickson, AlexanderGlover Coullie, Alexander James Hutchison Russell, RobertErnest Wright, Dewan Hakumat Rai, William Hunter

Riddell, Frederic Allan Barker, Arthur Waltham Howlett,Arnold Newall Thomas, and Francis Shingleton Smith.

Captain William Malcolm Thomson has resigned.

Surgeon-General J. G. MacNeece, British Service, has beenappointed Principal Medical Officer, 8th (Lucknow) Division.Colonel C. F. Willis has been appointed to officiate as DeputyPrincipal Medical Officer, His Majesty’s Forces in India,during the absence on leave of Colonel D. ffrench-Mullen.Colonel A. M. Crofts, C.I.E., principal medical officer ofthe Jullundur Brigade, has been granted eight months’ leaveof absence from India. Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. B.Robinson, agency surgeon, Bengal, has been appointed asResidency Surgeon, .Taipur. The services of Lieutenant-Surgeon C. M. Thompson have been placed permanently atthe disposal of the Government of India by H.E. theCommander-in- Chief. Lieutenant-Colonel E. A. W. Hall, civilsurgeon of Dacca, has been granted three months’ privilegeleave. The Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces has

appointed Major 1V. H. Kenrick, civil surgeon of Nimar, to theExecutive and Medical Charge of the Khandwa District Jail.Major H. J. Walton has been granted two months’ extensionof his leave. Major A. Fenton has been appointed to officiateas Civil Surgeon of Mandalay, vice Lieutenant-Colonel R. H.Castor, granted leave. Major S. A. Harriss has been

appointed Sanitary Commissioner of Burma in place of

Major C. E. Williams. Major W. R. Battye has been

appointed Residency Surgeon at Mewar. The services of

Major D. H. McD. Graves have been replaced at the disposalof H.E. the Commander-in-Chief by the Government ofIndia. Major C. R. Bakhale has been granted six weeks’

privilege leave, and Major S. Hunts seven months’ combinedleave. Major A. X. Fleming and Major C. E. Williams,Bombay, have arrived home on leave. Captain H. Ross,Assistant Plague Medical Officer at Jullundur, has been postedfor duty under the Government of India in the Home Depart-ment. Captain A. S. Leslie has been appointed Superintendentof the Insein Central Jail in place of Captain H. H. G. Knapp,transferred. Captain C. E. Southon, District Plague MedicalOfficer at Ludhiana, has been granted 20 months’ combinedand study leave. Captain G. S. Husband has been appointeda Specialist in the Prevention of Disease. Captain E. C.Hudson has been selected to act as Health Officer of Simla,vice Captain H. M. Mackenzie, appointed to officiate as Pro-fessor of Physiology at the Medical College, Calcutta.Captain W. J. Frazer has been appointed Civil Surgeon ofChanda, Central Provinces. Captain A. Cameron has joinedfor temporary duty in connexion with plague prevention inthe Punjab. Captain L. J. M. Deas has been posted asMedical Officer in Charge of the Mewar Bhil Corps. CaptainL. Reynolds has been appointed to act as Principal of theLawrence Military Asylum, Sanawar. Captain N. S. Wells,Captain G. M. Millar, and Captain V. 0. Beit, Bombay,have arrived home on leave from India.A committee comprising Surgeon-General C. P. Lukis,

Director-General, I. M. S., as president ; Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam A. Morris, R. A. M. C., Lieutenant-Colonel Charles M.Moore, I.M.S., and Major Jay Gould, I.M.S., as members,and Major Bruce Seton, I.M.S., as secretary, has been

appointed to consider the possible conversion of the presentregimental hospital system of the Indian Medical Serviceinto a station hospital system, somewhat on the lines of thatexisting in the case of the British Army.

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Royal Army Medical Corps.1st London (City of London) Field Ambulance: Eardley

Lancelot Holland to be Lieutenant.attached tll Uraats other than Medical Units.-Lieutenant

Thomas H. Livingstone to be Captain.The Territorial Decoration has been conferred upon the

undermentioned officers: Major Henry Christopher Lamport,attached to the 2nd West Lancashire Brigade, Royal FieldArtillery ; Major William Alfred Dingle, attached to the IstLondon Divisional Engineers, Royal Engineers ; and MajorJohn Ritchie, attached to the 8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion,Princess Louise’s (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders).

TEHRITORtAL FORCE RESERVE.

Roilal rirnty Dledscal Corps.Captain Thomas Mahon Morton, from the List of Officers

attached to Units other than Medical LTnits, to be Captain,with precedence as in the Territorial Force.BATTLE-FIELD EXERCISES FOR THE ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL

CORPS : HUMOURS OF MEDICAL MANOEUVRES.The Royal Army Medical Corps has recently had an