262 Weather of 1910 in Relation to Health. 



At the former the fall was 43.91 inche.s, or 3.2 in excess of 18 

 years' average (1893-1910 inclusive), while at the latter it was 

 54.30. The six stations give an average of 49.35 inches. The 

 total average rainfall at 73 stations in Scotland was 41.36 inches, 

 or 2.17 in exce.ss of the average. The year must, therefore, be 

 regarded as a rainy one. All the stations show that August was 

 the wettest month and September the driest. 



The influence of the weather upon health has at anyrate not 

 been unfavourable. The total deaths were 801, the " expected " 

 875, so that 74 of the hves within the portion of Dumfriesshire 

 under review that might have been expected to come to an end 

 have been carried over into another year. The total death-rate 

 was 14.487 per 1000. This figure was exceeded in the months 

 of January, February, April, May, June, and December, but in 

 four of these the rate was under the average, and in two alone 

 (May and June) was it in excess, and then only to a small extent. 

 The monthly distribution of some of the mortalities was peculiar. 

 Digestive diseases were most fatal in March and August, and least 

 so in June, September, and October. Deaths from diarrhoea 

 occurred in six months of the year, January, June, July, October, 

 November, and December. Their absence from the mortality 

 list during August and September is noteworthy. There were 

 deaths from enteric fever in August and October. Only three 

 notifications of this disease were received during the year, but 

 two of the cases proved fatal. Scarlet fever appears in the list 

 in eight out of twelve months, and the mortality was at its maxi- 

 mum in August. By far the largest number of cases occurred 

 during December, but the mortality in that month was nil. The 

 mortality from pneumonia was highest in the first five months, 

 when influenza was prevalent, and at its lowest in June and 

 December. For some reason it was high in October. Other 

 respiratory diseases were at their maximum in January and Feb- 

 ruary, and at their minimum in June, July, August, September, 

 and November. Deaths from circulatory diseases were most 

 numerous in April, least so in August. The mortaHty from pul- 

 monary phthisis was highest in April and May, lowest in July and 

 November. A gratifying feature in the returns is the drop that 

 has occurred in the fatalities from this disease. The rate has 

 been slowly falling during the decade ended with the year. The 

 fall has on the whole been a steady one, till a very sudden drop 



