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7
place. Whooping cough and influenza were also prevalent
during this period, and the weather conditions were
most unfavourable. Most of the fatal cases were in
families of poor circumstances. Fortunately there was
no epidemic of zymotic diarrhoea during the Summer
months, and this helped somewhat to balance the unfortunate
fatalities in the early part of the year.
The recorded death-rate for the preceding 13 years
may be found in Table I. of the vital statistics appended
to the Report at the end.
INFANT MORTALITY.
This rate deals with the number of deaths occurring
amongst infants from birth to one year of age in proportion
to the number of births registered. The number
of these was 25, yielding an infant mortality rate of
72-0 per 1,000 births, a decrease of 17 as compared with
this rate for 1908, which is very satisfactory.

Six infants died from measles, 7 from premature
birth, 1 from convulsions, 2 from broncho-pneumonia, 3
from debility, 1 from diarrhoea, 1 from hydrocephalus, 1
from tubercular peritonitis, and 4 from other causes. It
will be noted that 7 infants, more than a fourth of the
whole, died from premature birth. This is a very large
proportion, and one is bound to conclude that some of
these deaths were preventible and resulted [from carelessness
or ignorance of the elementary laws of health
on the part of the parents.