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is calculated on the estimated nett population of 74,330. 1 receive quarterly
from the Registrar-General (through the County Medical Officer) particulars
concerning Edmonton residents whose decease has taken place whilst they are
away from their usual home. I have accepted 170 deaths returned in this way
during the year, making the nett total of deaths at all ages (including 2 vagrants)
for the district proper 905.
The nett death -rates for the preceding ten years will be found on Table I.,
column 13.
The nett death-rate for Edmonton is, as I have said, 12.18 per 1,000
living; it was 9.50 last year. It is 1.36 higher than the average of the five
previous years, but is better than 15.80, the rate for 1904. Influenza took
a heavy toll of this district.
The senile deaths (65 years and over) are 45 more than last year.
Death Certification. All deaths were certified either by the medical
attendant or by the Coroner.
Inquests were held on 61 residents, or 8.3 per cent. of the total deaths
amongst residents registered in the district, thirty-four of them during the
first half of the year. This percentage compares favourably with nearly 13
per cent. in 1913.
For inquests on infants see next section.
The ages at, and causes of, death are set out in detail in Table III.
Zymotic death-rate. This rate is a statement of the number of deaths
from the seven principal zymotic diseases per 1,000 of the population. These
diseases are small-pox, enteric fever, measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough,
and diphtheria, at all ages, also diarrhoea (and enteritis) in children under
two years of age. There were 42 deaths from these diseases during the year,
and the zymotic death-rate is therefore 0 57, at compared with 0.66 for the
previous year. This figure is 0.09 less than last year.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The infantile mortality is a special death-rate, referring to the first ageperiod
(0 to 1 year), and is expressed as the number of deaths that take place
Bmongst children under one year of age per thousand births registered.
The number of such deaths occurring amongst Edmonton children and
registered within (or without) the district was 96, and the births registered
within (or without) the district, born of Edmonton mothers, numbered 1,196;
therefore the infantile death-rate, based on these figures, is 80.27 per thousand
births. The lowest record is 74.55, in 1910. Eleven of the 96 infantile
deaths were those of illegitimate infants—that is 11.5 per cent. of the infantile
deaths; three inquests were held. Inquests were also held on 11 of the other
infants, making a total of 14.