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which the deaths of infants under one year bear to the
births registered, was 14.3 per cent., or 0.3 per cent.
above the preceding decennial average. The higher
mortality of infants during the past year was, as
might be anticipated, due to the correspondingly higher
fatality from zymotic diseases. Twenty-seven deaths
were registered as having resulted from age unconnected
with disease; 54, however, or nearly 10 per cent.
were registered at 70 years of age and upwards,
the decennial average having been 12 per cent. The 54
so recorded were from 70-75, twenty-four; 75-80, nineteen;
80-85, eight; at 86, three; and at 87, two, and
they occurred to 18 males and 36 females, the latter as
usual greatly exceeding the former.
Epidemic Dispases—their prevalence and fatality.—
The deaths that have resulted from the seven principal
epidemic diseases during the past and ten preceding
years, with the proportion which they bore to the deaths
from all causes, are exhibited in the following Table. They
are found to have exceeded the preceding decennial
average corrected for increase of population by 28.
They formed 17.4 per cent. of all deaths, yielding a
death-rate of 3.07 per 1000 of the estimated population.
The excess in the mortality from these diseases during
the past year was due to a greater fatality than usual
from Diarrœa, Measles, and Whooping-cough, each of
which very considerably exceeded the average. Diarrhœa,
which was the most fatal of these diseases, exceeded
the average by nearly one third; it prevailed epidemically
from June to October, and occurred almost
wholly (indeed with two exceptions only) amongst
children under 5 years of age. The next most fatal was
Whooping-cough, which prevailed principally during
the first six months, was most fatal .during the first
three months, and exceeded the average by upwards of one
third. Measles prevailed during the whole year, but
mostly in the June and September quarters, and exceeded
the average by nearly one half.
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