Annual report on the Medical Department / Straits Settlements.

  • Straits Settlements. Medical Department
Date:
[1927]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Medical Department / Straits Settlements. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    It is to be remembered that in addition to the above, the Health Services of the Municipalities spent: — Singapore Penang Malacca $ c. 800,306 48 I4P320 13 26,700 00 Total .. 968,326 61 The total revenue of the Colony was $32,916,345. Further particulars are given in Table II. II.—PUBLIC HEALTH General Remarks : —• The year was, like the year 1926, not only in the Straits Settlements but generally throughout Malaya, unhealthy. With better rains in the first quarter of the year Malaria diseases slightly decreased. With hot and dry weather from June to September, the death-rates from Malaria, Pneu-1 monia and Infantile Mortality were still above the average. It is to be noted that the troubled condition in China has greatly assisted | to swell the Chinese immigrants from China. The figures rose from 348,573 j in 1926 to 359,262 in 1927. Only 204,064 deck passengers returned to China. It is worth while to quote the monthly mortality figures for the past four years—1924 an entirely normal and healthy year—1925, the healthiest year on record, though marred by an unusual mortality in the last quarter—1926 and 1927 unhealthy throughout but especially so during the first and second quarters. 1924 1925 1926 1927 January 2,165 2,054 2,579 2,734 February 2,000 L857 2,141 2,536 March ... 2,020 1,991 2,458 2,792 April 2,063 2,099 2,762 2,891 May 2,318 2,457 3,340 3,164 June 2,267 21245 3,227 3,121 July . 2,408 2,208 3,038 3,30i August 2,376 2,298 2,740 3,167 September 2,269 2,332 2,504 2,975 October 2,189 2,5M 2,588 3,213 November 2,113 2,463 2,534 2,907 December 2,170 2,588 2,722 2,760 Estimated population 960,952 994,266 1,025,835 1,059,968 Total deaths 26,35s 27,106 32.633 35,56i Death-rate per thousand ... 27-42 27-26 3i‘8i 33-55 The rainfall figures have an important bearing on the rise in the death- rate. In Singapore the rainfall remained below the average, 2,576.43 as against 2,172 millimetres in 1926. In the first half-year there were only 1,422 millimetres as against 803 millimetres. In Penang the rainfall for the first half was 1,232 millimetres, as against 607 millimetres, but the total for the year was 2,276 millimetres which is below normal. In Malacca the rainfall for the first half was 1,171 millime¬ tres while the total for the year was 2,633 millimetres as against 2,409 in 1925. In consequence the deaths from Malaria though less than last year are still much above the average for the past few years. 1 he flushing, which has been derived from the rainfall, to the anopheline breeding grounds is still not sufficient. It proved increasingly difficult to cope with the continued increase of Anopheles Ludlow, the dangerous brackish water breeder, in all the tidal swamps during the dry months.
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