SANITARY NOTES 



281 



these, as Dr. Crispin points out, cannot be taken as absolutely reliable and in this respect 

 differ from those kindly furnished by the Senior Medical Officer, Khartoum District, for the 

 native military population, and by the Senior Medical Officer, British troops, for the men 

 under his charge. 



On the basis of these figures I have worked out a crude death-rate which, however. Crude death- 

 furnishes little of special value. I have found it impossible, owing to lack of reliable 

 information, to present a recorded death-rate, and still less a corrected death-rate. In the 

 former, allowance is made for the deaths of persons in public institutions, and it is intended 

 to exclude the deaths of persons who, though not inhabitants, happen to die in the town. 

 The latter is a recorded death-rate corrected for the age and sex distribution of the 

 population, and, naturally, in a place like Khartoum, it is hopeless at present to think of 

 attaining such statistical accuracy. 



During the sanitary year, 1909-10, there occurred amongst the civil population of 

 Khartoum, including persons resident in the daims, in the villages at Buri, and the 

 villages at the Point, 414 births and 290 deaths. 



The figures for Khartoum North are 195 and 116, respectively. In the Egyptian 

 Military Hospital there were 10 deaths amongst the Khartoum garrison (about 3000 men), 

 while amongst the British troops (about 800 men) there were 6, four of which were due to 

 drowning. Putting these into tabular form we find : — 



Working this out on a population of 60,000 — a fair calculation, and one making 

 ample allowance for any possible over-estimate — we obtain a crude death-rate of a little 

 over 7 per 1000, that is to say, one death in every 142 persons. This would be a very 

 gratifying figure, especially as it is a crude death-rate, if one could rely absolutely upon 

 it, but it is necessary to take it with the proverbial grain of salt. Still, all things 

 considered, for burial is not permitted unless a certificate is forthcoming, it cannot be very 

 far wrong, and gives a general indication that the death-rate of the city is distinctly low. 

 It will be interesting to see how this figure will compare with those of subsequent years 

 when statistics will be more reliable and complete, and it is more for this reason than 

 for any other that I record it. 



The crude birth-rate based on the returns is only a little over 10 per 1000, and is Difficulty 

 obviously erroneous, though it has to be remembered that a considerable proportion of ^irth-rate 

 the population is military, official, and unmarried, and that there are also many unmarried 

 European and, especially native, labourers who come into the town for work, leaving their 

 wives and families behind them. 



Deaths are much more likely to be reported properly than births, and in any case 

 a birth-rate, to be of comparative value, should be calculated on the number of annual 

 births per lOOO women living at child-bearing ages. 



Thanks to the courtesy of Dr. Crispin and of the Medical Officer, Khartoum North, 



arriving at the 



