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80
Mortality of Infants and young Children.—The
mortality of Infants under one year amounted to 37, which
is greater than in 1873 by 18. In children from 1 to 5
years 18 deaths took place, which is one less than in the
previous year, whilst of those from 5 to 10 years, there
were but 3 deaths recorded. With the one exception of
a fatal case of Diphtheria which befel an adult, the
deaths from Zymotic maladies enumerated in the Table,
all fell upon children. The non-zymotic or ordinary
diseases proved fatal to infants and children between birth
and ten years of age in 49 instances, whilst 7 at the same
ages died from "premature birth, low vitality, and
malformation," The number of deaths of children under
one year of age from all causes is 11 above the average of
the preceding ten years, but this is certainly a most
exceptional proportion, due perhaps to an unusually
inclement autumn and winter, and to a somewhat large
excess of deaths from Lung Diseases, and a st ill larger one
from diseases of the Brain and Nerves, indeed, the latter
maladies proved fatal in just double the number of
instances than were recorded in the table of the previous
year. A somewhat greater number of deaths took place
of persons from 20 to 40 years of age than in 1873, whilst
of those from 60 to 80, and from 80 and upwards, there
is observable also a small increase. The very aged persons
who died during the year, viz:—those between 80 and 90,
and 90 and upwards, amounted to 7, the oldest having
reached the advanced age of 91 years.
Social Position of the Deceased.—The four columns of
the mortality table devoted to "social position" furnish
a study of some interest. The deaths amongst the
industrial and poorer classes appeared, during the year, in
proportions considerably greater than did those recorded
in the last report, (62 against 38), but still this was very
little higher than the average of the preceding ten years,
that average being a fraction over 60. The disparity of
numbers some years ago was very great between the