H-^3l

Statistics The accompanying tables show the trend over the years in various branches of maternal welfare :

Table 31—Number of Births, Birth-rates, Neo-natal Death, Still-birth and Maternal Death-rates

Table 32—Puerperal Mortality, 1948 (European), Showing Number of Deaths and Their Proportion to Live Births

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(Average rates for each, year from 1944 to 1948) . ' I ■ | 1944. 1945. 1946. 1947. 1 | 1948. Number of live births per annum .. .. E. - 33,599 37,007 41,871 44,816 44,193 M. 4,508 4,644 5,776 4,988 4,956 Live-birth rate .. .. .. .. E. 21-59 23-22 25-24 26-42 25-52 M. 45-32 46-09 56-49 46-86 45-09 Total 23-01 24-58 27-05 27-63 26-69 Still-birth rate per 1,000 total births .. .. E. 23-23 • 22-84 21-75 19-92 18-52 Neo-natal death-rate per 1,000 live births .. E. 20-60 19-59 19-08 18-08 15-77 M. 19-30 26-05 18-35 17-84 28-85 Still-birth rate and neo-natal death-rate com- E. 43-35 41-98 40-42 37-63 34-00 bined, per 1,000 total births Maternal-mortality -rate (including septic abor- E. 2-71 2-24 2-05 1-07 1-26 tion) per 1,000 live births Maternal-mortality rate (excluding septic abor- E. 2-14 1-94 1-76 0-85 1-06 -tion) per 1,000 live births E. = European: M. = Maori.

Number Death-rate — of Per 1,000 "Deaths. Live Births. Puerperal sepsis following childbirth 4 0-09 Accidents of labour— Placenta prsevia Post-partum haemorrhage .. .. 5 Puerperal embolism and thrombosis and pyelitis 3 without puerperal sepsis >18 0-40 Other— Obstetrical shock and heart-failure 6 Ruptured uterus Toxaemia of pregnancy— Eclampsia ' 5" t Puerperal toxaemia (pre-eclamptic) 9 r 14 0-32 Acute yellow atrophy of liver y 1 Accidents of pregnancy — Abortion (non-septic) .. - .. .. 3 ] Ectopic gestation 3 > 7 0-16 Ante-partum hemorrhage, without delivery 1J Parturition (unspecified) 4 0-09 Total maternal deaths (excluding septic abortion) 47 1-06