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percentage of deaths at that age as compared with the
total deaths. The only way to avoid this fallacy is to
ascertain the number dying at each group of ages from
the death returns and the number living at each group
of ages from the census, and then calculate the true
death-rate for each separate group of ages. Unfortunately
the number living at different ages can only be known
by the decennial census, and in the interval one must be
content with approximate calculations. An example of
the results obtained from the last census is given in
Table J of the Introductory Report at page 17.
Social Position
of Deceased.
The relative number of deaths in the
several social grades was as follows:—
Nobility and Gentry 23 = 4.5 per pent.
Professional Class 60 = 11.8 ,,
Middle and Trading Class 192 = 37.8 ,,
Industrial and Labouring Class 234 = 45 9 ,,
In the absence of knowlege of the living population
belonging to esch class, the true death-rate for each
separate class is unobtainable. By comparing the percentage
of total deaths with the percentage of deaths
from zymotic diseases in each class a further indication
of value may however be obtained. The total deaths
from zymotic diseases were 62, of which none occurred
in the first class, 9.6 per cent. in the second,
32.2 per cent. in the third, and 58.2 in the fourth. It
will be seen that the proportion of zymotic disease in the
industrial class was excessive, a fact in accordance with
general experience.
Zymotic
Diseases.
The following table gives the number of
deaths from specific febrile diseases, as compared
with previous years, and a similar comparison of
zymotic and general death-rates.