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The Death-rates per 1000, excluding Infirmary deaths
and its population, were—
1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878
17.0 17.6 17.2 20.2 19.5 17.1 18.5
The deaths in the Infirmary were 190.
Inquests.—During the year 38 Inquests were held on
the bodies of 20 males and 16 females, being a decrease
on the previous year of 7. The verdicts were as follow :—
From Natural Causes 19
„ Accidental „ 17
Suicide 2
Of the accidental causes, 9 were caused by Asphyxia of
infants in bed; 1 from burning; 1 from drinking from the
spout of a tea-kettle; 1 drowning ; and 1 on a railway.
The suicides were those of a male and female, the
former placed himself on railway metals and was run over,
whilst the latter was a cut-throat; both cases were of
unsound mind.
In analysing the above we find that 1 in every 4
inquests held was on infants suffocated whilst in bed; this
is a considerable increase on last year, when 1 in 7 were so
held. This is serious, especially when we know that every
case could be prevented if mothers would be more careful
of their infants when retiring for the night, and not fall
asleep with the child at the breast, or placed under the
clothes to keep it warm, where there is an absence of
renewing air, and what there is is rendered totally unfit
for breathing purposes by the emanations from the body;
the little infant, from want of power, is unable to make
its wants known, or probably whilst asleep is gradually
asphyxiated.