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) .—ln the case of males, deaths from all forms of heart-disease increased by 165, from 2,195 in 1937 to 2,356 in 1938. There was an increase of 4 deaths under forty years of age 14 between forty and sixty years, and 143 above the age of sixty years. ' The female increase was 60, from 1,755 in 1937 to 1,815 in 1938. There was an increase of 3 deaths under forty years of age, 32 between forty and sixty years, and 25 above the age of sixty years. The number of deaths and the crude death-rate from heart-disease continue to rise, an inevitable effect of our ageing population. Another factor which helps to increase the number of deaths and the crude death-rate is the decline in deaths from senility, as shown graphically in the annual report for 1936. The standardized rate for males rose from 19-9 per 10,000 of population in 1937 to 21-2 in 1938, and for females from 15-9 to 16-4. From Table B it will be seen that the death-rate in the age-groups under forty years is low, with a falling tendency. After the age of forty it increases rapidly, with an upward trend m the older age-groups. A great part of this upward trend in the older age-groups is due to the transference of deaths from senility, the latter term being viewed with disfavour, further inquiries being made when it is shown on the death-certificate as the cause of death. The marked downward trend in deaths from senility is shown in Table C.

Table B.—Diseases of the Heart: Average Yearly Number of Deaths per 10,000 of Population by Sex and in each Age-group.

3—H, 31.

17

1938. 1937. 1936. 1935. 1934. • Cause. Number. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Heart-disease (all forms) .. .. 4,171 27-45 26*25 24-43 23-34 22-72 Cancer 1,787 11-76 11-82 11-81 11-18 11-53 Violence 999 6-57 5-99 5-79 5-25 5-76 Pneumonia .. •• •• 613 4-03 3-36 2-68 1-62 1 -74 Pneumonia (secondary to influenza), 187 1-23 0-47 0-68 0-22 0-38 whooping-cough, and measles Bronchitis .. ■ • • • • • 200 1-32 1-14 1-35 1-34 1 • 47 Broncho-pneumonia .. .. •• 354 2-33 1-72 1-61 1-63 1-47 Tuberculosis (all forms) .. .. •• 597 3-93 3-91 4-56 3-89 }. Kidney or Bright's disease .. •• 581 3-82 3-89 3-96 3-56 3-80 Apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage .. 852 5-61 5-37 5-09 4-87 4-95 Diseases of the arteries .. .. •• 550 3-62 3-62 2-99 2-96 2-57 Senilitv •• •• 401 2 " 64 2-37 2-55 2-39 3-10 Diabetes 2 85 1-88 1-83 1-59 1-53 1-70 Hernia and intestinal obstruction .. .. 110 0-72 0-81 0-66 0-67 0-64 Diseases and acci dents of childbirth (puerperal 111 0-72 0-63 0-62 0-68 0-80 Appendicitis 117 0-77 0-77 0-80 0-72 0-79 Diarrhoea and enteritis 97 0-64 0-33 0-40 0-55 0-39 Epilepsy 48 0-32 0-37 0-33 0-29 0-35 Common Infectious Diseases. Influenza (all forms, including pneumonic) .. 133 0-88 0-73 0-94 0-74 1-26 Dinhtheria •• •• 3 1 0-20 0-16 0-13 0-22 0-18 Whooping-cough '. 2 1 0-14 0-08 0-32 0-28 0-27 Scarlet fever 2 0-01 0-04 0-05 0-05 0-05 Typhoid and paratyphoid .. .. 8 0-05 0-06 0-05 0-07 0-01 Measles .. •• •• •• 163 1-07 °' 02 0-02 °' 01 0-31

Males. Females « "53 8 2? 2 gssssss 189«- M IIS; i s i 5 ?I & & 10O ' ! - §°SSSS2 S3S2SSS n _, 7.9 12-7I 113 2'0 0-8 0-8 0-2 1-2 ,3-9 9-8 7-3 1-0 1-3 0-6 0-2 1-2 ,1 " " 0 -8 0-4 0-8 0-6 0-5 0-4 0-3 0-3 1-0 0-4 L-4 0-7 (1-5 0-5 0-2 0-3 i_, A " " 0-7 0-7 1-5 0-8 1-4 0-6 0-5 0-3 1-3 1-0 1-4 0-9 1-2 0-6 0-5 0-2 in ir, " " ().(i 0-9 1-3 11 1-2 0-9 0-6 0-4 1-8 1-5 10 1-1 1 0 0-9 0-5 0-4 Hri; '■ 1.3 1.1 1.9 1-4 1 1 1-1 0-7 0-7 2 1 1-8 1-6 1-1 1 4 0-9 (1-8 0-6 25 " " 1-8 1-8 1-7 2• 4 1-3 11 0-9 1-3 1-2 1-8 2-4 1-6 1-2 1-6 1-3 0-9 ;r 2 I ■■ " 2-3 1-8 2-] 1-7 1-7 1-4 1-4 1-5 2-3 2-0 2-6 2-0 2-4 1-8 1-3 1-4 on or " " '>.7 2-4 2-2 2-3 3-1 2-8 1-9 1-6 3-2 3-2 3-7 1-8 2-6 2-5 2-2 2-4 o2 40 " " 4-6 4-5 4-7 5-7 4-6 3-6 3-4 3-2 4-9 5 0 5-1 4-6 5-2 3-2 3-3 2-8 " " 7.2 7-7 7-2 6-0 0-8 5-0 0-2 7-9 7-8 7-5 6-1 6-7 (5-2 4-8 4-2 5-6 lit, " " u , 4 13. ] n-6 11-3 11-8 10-8 12-1 14-2 12-6 12-7 10 ■ 9 10-0 11-8 9-5 8-8 8-3 '' '' 91.3 18-0 21-0 19-2 20-5 20-9 21-4 25-5 24-7 1.7-1 19-8 16-9 16-3 15-8 14-2 15-4 59j£ " 30.3 37.8 32• 6 35-7 33-6 36-6 37-5 44-8 29-9 27-2 30-6 32-9 30-4 25-7 29-4 24-9 •• " 51.4 00-6 51-3 54-5 63-7 60-0 70-9 81-0 65-4 45-8 40-0 48-3 53-7 49-5 49-8 54-4 S? m " " 94.3 93.7 108-5 98-9113-] 114-9122-1 134-3 83-6 71-1 83-4 78-6 90-2 90-0 95-6 105-0 70~75 ' ' " 143.0152-5 150• 5 160-1178-8 170-4202-4221-0 112-5 118-7 134• 7 125• 2 154-0 101-0 171-0 190• 2 ■ .'05 -7210-9 255 ■ 6 225 • 6 267 • 6 285 • 6 353 • 4 391 ■ 0 148 ■ 9 170 • 2 205 ■ 5 201 ■ 8 238 -0 254 ■ 6 328 • 7 348 • 5 80 and over '' r >' 2 295 ■ 1 408 ■ 2 427 ■ 5 702 ■ ■ 2l 157 ■ ?! 161 ■ 7I2I6 -9 240 ■ 9 298 ■ 2 409 ■ 3l(i42 ■ 9'728 ■ 8