The Straits Settlements medical report.

  • Straits Settlements. Medical Department.
Date:
[1923]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Straits Settlements medical report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/166 (page 3)
    FINANCIAL. The Revenue collected in the Straits Settlements totalled $962,336.13 and the Expenditure $889,396.43, being distributed as follows: — Revenue. Expenditure. Singapore Penang Malacca Labuan $ c. $ c. ... 500,406 98 5°3>42 3 4 56 41 ... 380,112 93 286,601 55 ••• 80735 37 82,515 36 1,080 85 16,853 11 Total ... $962,336 13 $889,396 43 II.—PUBLIC HEALTH. (a) General Remarks : — 1. The following table gives the estimated population, with birth and death-rates for years 1922 and 1923—all nationalities : — Settlement or Province. Population. Births. Deaths. Birth Ratio per mille. Death Ratio per mille. Estima¬ ted 1922. Estima¬ ted 1923. 1922. 1923. 1922. 1923. 1922. 1923. 1922. 1923. Singapore 435.614 457,571 12,458 12,876 13,616 12,153 28-60 2814 31-26 26-56 Labuan 5,844 5,972 211 229 201 171 36-11 38-34 34-39 28-63 Penang 164,495 166,880 5,177 5,464 5,293 5,126 3r47 32-74 32-11 30-72 Province Wellesley 130,478 130,618 4,533 4,039 4,25i 3,9H 34-74 30-92 32-58 2997 Dindings 12,546 130,283 352 386 3T5 290 2806 29-06 25-10 21-83 Malacca ^4 On O 160,836 4,992 5,462 4,128 4,34i 31-76 33*95 26-26 26-98 Total 906,137 935,2io 27,723 28,456 27,804 25,995 30-59 3043 3068 2780 2. Deaths.—The deaths from all causes registered in 1923 were 25,995 as against 27,804 in 1922, giving a crude death-rate of 27-80 per mille of population which is the lowest death-rate on record. Infantile Mortality. 3. The infantile mortality rate was 20073 Per mille as against 195*22 in 1922. The increase for the last two years results from the high death-rate in Malacca, which exceeds that for any Settlement in the Colony, 1,413 deaths amongst 5,642 births or 258*69 per thousand. It is to be expected that this rate will decrease, when the Malay midwives at present undergoing their training in the hospitals are sent out into the districts. These figures are exclusive of infants born elsewhere than in the Colony. (i) General Diseases : — Beri-beri. 4. Beri-beri was responsible for 904 deaths as against 1,388 deaths in 1922, 1,299 deaths in 1921 and 1,025 deaths in 1920. There were 137 deaths amongst the 962 cases of Beri-beri treated in hospitals. Tuberculosis. < 5. There were 2,683 deaths from Tuberculosis and Phthisis as against 2,966 in the previous year and 3,258 in 1921. One thousand seven hundred and fourteen cases were admitted to hospitals with 789 deaths.