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24
Ages at Death.—At the two extremes of life, it will be
gathered from the above table that a very high death-rate
prevailed in the past year, compared with that of former
years. Of infants and young children who succumbed to
disease, accident, &c., there appears to have been a very large
number, (211) varying in age from a few minutes after
birth to 10 years. This mortality absorbs within 16, onehalf
of the deaths that took place at all ages, and is, from
that circumstance, one of the worst features of the table.
The number of aged persons dying during the year was
115, varying in age from 60 to 90 years; 89 between 60
and 80, and 26 over 80, the oldest being 93.
Zymotic Diseases.—There were registered during the past
year of this class of diseases 124 deaths, which is, I regret to
say, exactly double the number recorded in the mortality
table of my last report. This increase is chiefly due to
the fatality attending three very severe epidemics, viz.,
Diarrhœa and Choleraic disease, Fever, and Whoopingcough,
which together resulted in death in no less than 79
instances, leaving but 45 persons to die of the other eight
Zymotic maladies referred to in the table.
Of the 124 deaths from epidemics, 82 were of persons
belonging to the working class, the children of that class
succumbing in unusual numbers. It is much to be
lamented that of the 124 deaths due to the class of diseases
I have been speaking of, so many as 39 children should
have contributed to swell the register. I trust this state
of things will not be long persistent.
It will be remarked with some degree of satisfaction
that although Scarlatina and Diphtheria combined found 21
victims entirely amongst children under 10 years of age,
that three others under 5 years of age died of Croup, and
that one infant under one year of age succumbed to
Erysipelas, the most dreaded of all the Zymotic diseases,
viz., Small-pox, resulted in death in no one instance during
the past year.