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class of disease, although the actual amount of such increase is
not distinguishable. It is interesting to be able to record that the
British Empire Cancer Campaign and Research Departments at
various Hospitals and Institutions are making investigations into the
causation of this disease, yet up to the present one regrets to have
to record that no definite cause has been distinguished and assigned
to this disease, and it would seem as if until such a condition or
conditions have been found out that all that the Public Health
Authority can do counts for very little in the war against this
scourge.
Developmental Diseases.—There were 180 deaths, equal to
a rate of 1.72 per 1,000.
These may roughly be divided into those from causes which
would appear to be unavoidable, viz.:—Congenital defects 14, and
those from causes more or less preventable, viz.:—Premature birth,
28; Injury at birth, 1; Debility at birth, 5; Atrophy, Debility
and Marasmus, 10; Atelectasis, 2.
The remaining and largest portion of these deaths from developmental
diseases, 120 in number, were from Old Age; in 1924 there
were 150 deaths from this cause and 119 in the previous year.
Local Diseases.
Nervous System.—Eighty-three deaths were attributed to
the various nervous diseases, which gives a rate of .79 per 1,000; last
year the rate was .91 per 1,000. Convulsions were responsible
for 6, all of whom were under five years of age; 4 were from Meningitis,
1 from Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis, 42 from Apoplexy, 2 from
Chorea, 3 from General Paralysis of the Insane, 1 from other forms
of Insanity, 4 from Epilepsy, 1 from diseases of the Spinal Cord, 4
from Cerebral Tumour, 1 from Locomotor Ataxy, 3 from Encephalitis
Lethargica, and 11 from other diseases of this system.
Organs of Special Sense.—There were 2 deaths from this
class of causes, equal to a rate of .01 per 1,000.
Circulatory System.—The Death Rate from diseases of this
system was 1.47 per 1,000, there being a total of 154 such deaths.
Valvular Diseases of the Heart were responsible for 82, 4 from
Aneurism, 3 from Embolism, 5 from Angina Pectoris, 1 from Phlebitis,
and from the remaining diseases of this system, 59.
Respiratory System.—Two hundred and nine deaths were
due to diseases of the Respiratory Organs, as compared with 196