H.—3l.

The Principal Causes of Death. The following table gives the main causes of death during the year, the actual number of deaths therefrom, and the death-rates per 10,000 of mean population for each of the last five years : —

Heart-diseases (all Forms). —In the case of males, deaths from all forms of heart-disease increased by 109, from 2,082 in 1936 to 2,191 in 1937. There was a decrease of 3 deaths under forty years of age, an increase of 8 between forty and sixty years, and an increase of 104 above the age of sixty years. In 1936 the rise in the number of deaths of females from heart-disease was 45, a small increase compared with that for males (142) in that year. For 1937, however, the female increase (192) considerably exceeded that for males (109). Cancer. —Deaths attributed to cancer numbered 1,777, an increase of only fifteen on the number for the previous year, whilst the crude death-rate per 10,000 of mean population remained the same (11-81). When the sexes are considered separately it is found that there was an increase of 46 deaths of males (901 in 1937, 855 in 1936), as compared with a small decrease in the previous year (855 in 1936, 866 in 1935), and a decrease of 31 deaths of females in 1937 (876 in 1937, 907 in 1936), as compared with an increase in the previous year (907 in 1936, 790 in 1935).

Tuberculosis (all Forms).

Of the 589 deaths from tuberculosis last year, 494 (or 3-28 per 10,000 of mean population) were assigned to tuberculosis of the respiratory system, and 95 (0-63 per 10,000), to other forms of the disease.

10

1937. 1936. 1935. 1934. 1933. Cause. Number. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Heart-disease (all forms) .. .. 3,948 26-24 24-43 23-34 22-72 21-17 Cancer .. .. .. .. 1,777 11-81 11-81 11-18 11-53 11-10 Violence .. .. .. .. 901 5-99 5-79 5-25 5-76 5-62 Chest-disease (total) .. .. .. 975 6-48 5-88 4-81 5-06 4-43 Pne jmonia .. .. .. .. 505 3-36 2-69 j 1 - 62 1-74 | 1-65 Pneumonia (secondary to influenza), 71 0-47 0-68 0-22 0-38 0-34 whooping-cough, and measles Bronchitis .. .. .. 172 1-14 1-35 1-34 1-47 1-21 Broncho-pneumonia .. .. .. 259 1-72 1-61 1-63 l'-47 1-23 Tuberculosis (all forms) .. .. .. 589 3-91 4-56 3-89 4-21 4-17 Kidney or Bright's disease .. .. 586 3-89 3-96 3-56 3-80 3-83 Apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage .. 808 5-37 5-09 4-87 4-95 4-63 Diseases of the arteries .. .. .. 545 3-62 2-99 2-96 2-57 2-81 Senility .. . . .. . ■ 356 2-37 2-55 2-39 3-10 2-30 Diabetes ' .. .. .. .. 275 1-83 1-59 1-53 1-70 1-56 Hernia and intestinal obstruction .. .. 122 0-81 0-66 0-67 0-64 0-76 Diseases and accidents of childbirth (maternal 95 0-63 0-62 0-68 0-80 0-74 mort ility) Appendicitis .. .. .. .. 117 0-77 0-80 0-72 0-79 0-74 Diarrhoea and enteritis .. .. .. 49 0-33 0-40 0-55 0-39 0-41 Epilepsy .. .. .. .. 56 0-37 0-33 0-29 0-35 0-22 Common Infectious Diseases. Influenza (all forms, including paeumonia).. 110 0-73 0-94 0-74 1-26 0-69 Diphtheria .. .. .. .. 24 0-16 0-13 0-22 0-18 0-18 Whooping-cough .. .. .. 13 0-08 0-32 0-28 0-27 0-12 Scarlet fever .. .. .. .. 6 0-04 0-05 0-05 0-05 0-03 Typhoid an,d paratyphoid .. .. 9 0-06 0-05 0-07 0-01 0-04 Measles .. .. .. .. 4 0-02 0-02 0-01 0-31 0-12

, T , . I Death-rate from w, Death-rate from | Number of Tuberculosis Numb,»-of Tubercu i„ sis Year. : Deaths from 0 00 of Year " Deaths from Q of Tuberculosis. Me P an Population . ! Tuberculosa ; Mean Population . 1932 .. .. 615 1 4-23 "1935.. .. 576 3-89 1933 . .. 611 4-17 1936 680 4-56 1934 .. .. 621 4-21 1937.. .. 589 3-91