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DEATHS.
The number of deaths registered during 1958 as belonging
to this District was 877, (370 males and 507 females), which is 124
more than last year. It will be remembered that the Registrar
General now attributes to this District all deaths of those who have
over six months residence in the mental hospitals, it being suggested
that as the majority of the in-patients in these hospitals are
long stay cases, they should be regarded as forming part of the
normal population. Numerically of course, they are included in
the population, but, their death rate being inevitably higher than
the average, the effect on the local death rate is misleading. Applying
the "comparability factor" supplied by the Registrar General,
the gross local death rate of 12.8 is decreased to a corrected one
of 8.7 but it is doubtful if this is really comparable with the
national death rate of 11.7 for 1958.
In order that a more accurate comparison can be made the
records in respect of the normal residents have been kept separate
from those of the mental hospital patients, who would previously
have been transferred to their own districts, and as far as practicable
throughout this Report a distinction has been made between
them.

(A full list of the causes of deaths and the ages at which they
occurred is given in Table IV. in the Appendix.)
HEART AND CIRCULATORY DISEASE.
Among the ordinary residents the death rate from heart and
circulatory disease was 3.76 compared with an average of 4.22 in
the preceding five years. This group includes a high proportion of
elderly people dying virtually of old age.
Ignoring the mental hospital group, this year 68 per cent of
residents dying from heart and circulatory disease were over 65
years of age at the time of death, compared with an average of 77
per cent in the previous five years.
CANCER.
The cancer death rate in respect of normal residents was
1.80 in 1958 compared with an average of 1.82 in the previous
five years.
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