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from bronchitis numbered 229 as against 102 in the preceding year, and of these 229, 179 occurred
in the first five months of the year. Again, in the case of pneumonia, there were 257 deaths as
against 191 in the preceding year, and all but 65 of these occurred in the first five months of the
year. Thus, it will be seen that influenza, bronchitis and pneumonia were responsible for 639
deaths as against 319 in the previous year; and of these 639, 517 occurred in the first five months
of the year, the period during which influenza was epidemic in Kensington.
There were 382 more deaths in 1929 than in the preceding year, and 320 of these can be
accounted for by the increased number of deaths from influenza, bronchitis and pneumonia.
It is of interest to note that of the 153 deaths from influenza, 129 occurred in persons over
the age of forty-five years; of the 229 deaths from bronchitis, 211 occurred in persons over the
age of forty-five years; and of the 257 deaths from pneumonia, 156 occurred in persons over the
age of forty-five years. Thus, the influenza epidemic of 1929 was one which fell heavily on the
older members of the population, whereas in the epidemic of 1918, the incidence was high at all
ages.
Of the 479 deaths from heart disease, 445 occurred in persons over the age of forty-five years.
The number of deaths from heart disease was 46 more than in 1928 and it is probable that the
epidemic of influenza was largely responsible for the increase, for this disease often affects the
heart.
During the period when influenza was epidemic, whooping-cough was also prevalent in
Kensington. There were 65 deaths from this disease in the year and 62 of these occurred in
the first five months. In 1928 there were only 10 deaths throughout the year.
Another disease which appreciably contributed to the increased death rate for the year was
enteritis. There were 59 deaths from this condition, whereas in the preceding year there were
only 27. The enteritis responsible for most of these deaths was not zymotic enteritis or summer
diarrhoea, for in the months of May, June, July, August and September, there were only 20
deaths from enteritis. Indeed, the deaths from this complaint were fairly evenly distributed
throughout the year and the factors responsible are referred to in the sections of this report dealing
with " Infantile Mortality " and " The Prevention of, and Control over, Infectious Disease."
There was a decrease in the number of deaths from measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria and
cancer.

It will be seen that over one-third of the deaths, or 1,085, were due to diseases of the heart
or the organs of respiration. Phthisis, an infectious or preventable disease, caused 120 deaths.
The diseases described in the above list as the "principal zymotic diseases" are small-pox,
measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping-cough, enteric fever (including fever not otherwise
defined) and diarrhoea.