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53
has during tne last ten years, varied irom per tnousand
to 36.2, and the extremes of the death rate have
been 19.2 down to 16 per thousand.
This conclusively demonstrates that notwithstanding
the high birth rate which prevails in the sub-district, the
healthful condition resulting from its excellent subsoil
and large open spaces and the unremitting vigilance with
which sanitary measures have been pursued by the
Sanitary Authorities, have to a very great extent neutralised
the tendency to a high death rate which is the
result of a high birth rate. This would have been more
distinctly apparent during late years but for the greater
stringency with which children dying at, or soon after,
birth, are now registered, it having been a common
practice until lately to register children as stillborn who
only lived for a short time after birth. Adult life
has during late years been so enormously prolonged that
probably but little remains to be done from the sanitarian's
point of view in that direction, and any future
diminution of the death rate can only arise either from
a diminished birth rate or from a greater saving of life
among the very young.
The number of persons dying above 80 years of age
was twenty-five—the number certified as dying of old
age being the same.