CAUSES OF DEATH

Southland Times, Issue 20833, 23 July 1929, Page 11

CAUSES OF DEATH

FIGURES FOR LAST YEAR. PREVALENCE OF INFLUENZA. FIFTY MORE CANCER CASES. Interesting returns of the causes of deaths in Nev/ Zealand in 1928 are furnished by the Government Statistician. Of the principal epidemic diseases, the one with the most satisfactory record in recent years is typhoid fever. Although still prevalent in sporadic outbreaks among the Maoris, this disease now causes very few deaths of Europeans. . An occasional small outbreak is still experienced, however, and so the increase in the number of deaths from typhoid fever from 11' in 1927 to 16 in 1928 presents no alarming features. Of the other principal epidemic diseases —namely, measles;* scarlet fever,. whopping cough, diphtheria, and influenza—two (scarlet fever and influenza) caused in 1928 greater havoc than' in their normal wont. The former disease came intp prominence in 1927. The total number of deaths from scarlet fever recorded the death-rate (0.40 per 10,000 of mean population) was exceed, cd in 1916,' when it stood at 0.46. ; Influenza and Tuberculosis. Dealing with influenza the Government Statistician remarks that “This disease is still very prevalent, and a definite rise in the death-rate is encountered every now and again. One such peak was experienced during 1928, and still being felt in the early part of the current year. The rate (1.74 per 10,000) is, however, far from phenomenal, and is lower than that experienced in the epidemic year of 1926 (2.13).. Of the total of 242 deaths recorded as due to influenza in 1928, 130 were of males and 112 of females.” Measles and whooping cough show a decline; diphtheria a slight increase. The position of tuberculosis is described as not quite satisfactory. In 1926 a slight rise in the death-rate was experienced; in 1927 there was a slight decline; in 1928 there was an appreciable rise in the deathrate from pulmonary tuberculosis to 4.09 per 10,000, which was taken to be “rather a reflection of perviously operating factors than an indication of an actual increase in the mortality from the disease. The position for other forms of tuberculosis is more satisfactory for the year under review, as a decline in the rate from 0.98 in 1927 to 0.93, is recorded here. The chief group under this heading from a numerical aspect is tuberculosis meningitis, this disease accounting for no fewer than 58 of the total of 130 deaths from other forms of tuberculosis.”

Slight Increase in Cancer. “No improvement is observed for 1928 in the cancer problem,” states the Statistician. “Although a slight decrease occurred in the death-rate for 1927, the upward trend operating throughout the history of the disease was advanced another step in the succeeding year. The number of deaths from cancer registered in 1928 was 1374, an increase of 50 as compared with the previous year, while the deathrates were 9.63 in 1927 and 9.88 in 1928.

Cancer is principally confined to persons of 40 years of age and upwards, and during 1928 all persons over the age of 40 years whose deaths were registered, one in every seven of males and one in every six of females died from cancer. Deaths from diabetes showed a decrease. More women than men took their own lives in 1928. The total number of suicides during 1928 was 202, an increase of three over 1927. The suicidal death-rate was 1.45 per 10,000 of mean population. The. number of females who committed suicide in 1928 (48) was abnormally large, being greater than that recorded for very many years, and an increase of 20 over the previous year. Deaths recorded in 1928 as due to pneumonia or broncho-pneumonia were 652 in number, as compared with 520 in 1927, and the rate rose from 3.79 per 10,000 to 4.68. This increase is probably, to some extent at least, associated with the influenza epidemic of 1928. Deaths from bronchitis, on the other hand, register an appreciable fall. Deaths from accidents and diseases of the puerpera state-remained at practically the same level in 1928 as in 1927, the numbers being 137 in 1927 and 134 in 1928. , , Homicidal deaths in 1928 numbered 10 as compared with 22 for the previous year.