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37 of persons over 80. These figures denote an exceptionally high
proportion of senile mortality.
The Causes of Death.— These are fully set forth in Table A, in
which it will be noted that the deaths are also apportioned to
different age-periods. Table A 1 is supplementary to Table A, and
sets forth the causes of death in each of the two Divisions of the
Parish a little more fully. Table A 2 shows the deaths during each
of the four quarters of the year.
It will be seen from Table A 1 that, as in previous years, there
is a disproportionately high number of deaths in the Southern
Division, after making allowance for the difference in the populations
of the two Divisions. This is chiefly due to the fact that the birthrate
for the Southern Division is, and has been for years,
considerably in excess of that for the Northern Division, and since
the population includes more of the poorer classes and is more
crowded on area, the rate of infantile mortality will always exceed
that in the Northern Division. It will be noted that the mortality
of the Southern Division exceeds that of the Northern mainly in
respect of the deaths from Diarrhœa, Diphtheria, Measles, Phthisis,
and other tubercular diseases,Diseases of Respiratory Organs, Diseases
of Nervous System (including Apoplexy and Convulsions), Premature
Birth, Wasting and Debility, Accidents (including" overlying"); and
if these deaths were grouped according to the ages at which death
occurred, it would be found that by far the largest number would be
allotted to the first five years of life.
In my Reports for 1897 and 1898 attention was drawn to the
loose manner in which the cause of death is sometimes registered,
and the difficulties which this fact gives rise to in compiling an
accurate classification. During last year the returns showed some
improvement, but in two cases during the year the cause of death
was registered as from two distinct diseases, apparently co-existent.
Doubtless, the symptoms of one complaint were predominant just
before death, and if this circumstance were indicated it would be far
easier to decide which disease could be most justly credited with the
death for the purposes of classification. "Convulsions," "Glycosurea,"
" Inflammation of Liver," " Jaundice," " Hypertrophy of