[Report 1923] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough.

  • Barnsley (England : Unitary authority). County Borough Council.
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1923] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/90 (page 12)
    Ei)cephalitis Lethargica.—One death was caused by this dis- ease in a woman, aged -17 years. This disease is also known as sleepy sickness, and appears to have some relation to Influenza, as outbreaks of encephalitis lothurgica seem to follow outbreaks of Influenza. Tuberculosis.—64 deaths were due toi Pulmonary Tubercu- losis, while 20 deaths were due to other foians of Tuberculosis (Glands, Bones, Meninges, etc.). Table 8 shows the age distribution of the deaths, and in males and females the largest numbers occur in the years 25—45. Further reference is made to tliis disease upon pages 27—30 and 73—81. Cancer.—This disease caused 79 deaths, and it wiU be noted that the largest number of deaths ocem-red between 65 and 75 yeai-s. Fome alarm has been caused by the apparent increase in the number of deaths from Cancer, and this increase can partly be explained by the induction in the Death Hate at the early ages, for Cancer is essentially a disease of middle aged and old people. There seems some ground for the belief that Cancer is due largely to some long contmued irritation; in the case of the tongue a sharp edge of a deca;ving tooth, in the case of a lip, the jagged edge of a ])ii)e. Workei's in soot and tar appear tO' be liable to Cancer of the Skin, es])ecially around the juivate parts, but the exact co'nstitu- ent of soot and tar whicli causes Cancer has not been discovered. 'I’liere also api>ears to be some ground foi associating the contammation of food stuffs by beetles with internal Cancer, and til is should be a hint to encourage us in the removal of these pests from our houses. Unfortunately, many of the houses in Barnsley are very old and infesterl with vemiin, which readily penetrate from house to house through the decaying brick work. It is inter- esting to note that workers in lead .suffer less frequently from Cancer than the average. Rheumatic Fever.—We are glad to note that only three deaths \Aere caused by this disease, which used to be much more fatal in earlier years. Bronchitis caused 71 deaths. Pneumonia caused 84 deaths, and Other Respiratory Diseases 9 deaths, making a total of 164. This number is still too. high, tliough an improvement upon tire preceding year, when 206 deaths w^ere caused by these dis- eases.