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30
MATERNAL MORTALITY.
The number of women who died from conditions arising during or consequent
upon child birth was 9 and the maternal mortality rate 7 per 1,000 as against 3
per 1,000 in the previous year. Of the deaths 3 occurred on the same day as the
birth of the child. In 3 cases the confinement took place at home, the remainder
being at a hospital. One of the babies was stillborn: in one case, in which the
death was due to eclampsia, the woman being in the 30th week of pregnancy,
the child was undelivered, and in the remainder the baby survived the mother.
In all except two cases the death appeared to be due directly to conditions arising
out of the pregnancy or childbirth. In one of the exceptions the patient was
suffering from paratyphoid fever, and in the other the causes of death shown on
the certificate were " heart failure; bronchitis and asthma." Four of the women
were attended by a medical practitioner, the remainder being under the care of a
midwife. The ages of the patients were 41, 23, 37, 22, 31, 23, 22, 17 and 46
respectively and all but two were married.
DEATHS IN RELATION TO DISEASE.
A list of the causes of deaths, with the ages at which they occurred, will be
found in Table III. of the Ministry of Health series on page 68. This Table
also shows the distribution of deaths according to causes in the various registration
sub-districts.
The lollowing notes with regard to certain of the causes which contribrtted most
largely to the death rate, may be of interest.
DIARRHCEAL DISEASES.
The total number of deaths registered as due to diarrhoea and enteritis
(inflammation of the bowels), was 22, equal to 0.19 per 1,000 of the population.
As a general rule, the majority of deaths from this cause occur among infants,
and in 1928, as a matter of fact, all those who died, with the exception of 5, were
less than 1 year of age.
In 1927 the deaths from diarrhœal diseases numbered 15, all the victims being
under one year of age, with the exception of 3. In 1928, therefore, there was an
increase in the total, 17 being under 1 year of age.
INFECTIOUS (COMMUNICABLE) DISEASES.
The number of deaths due to each of the diseases included in this group is
referred to when dealing specifically with the diseases under the heading " Prevalence
of and Control over Infectious Diseases." Excluding influenza (which
caused 13 deaths), the diseases contributing to the total of 83 deaths were—
diphtheria, 12; scarlet fever, 2; whooping cough, 10; measles, 37; and as already
noted, diarrhoea, 22.
PHTHISIS AND OTHER TUBERCULOUS DISEASES.
The total deaths due to the diseases dealt with under this heading, viz..
phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis or consumption of the lungs), tuberculous
meningitis, general tuberculosis, tabes mesenterica, and all conditions due to the
germ of consumption, numbered 92, which is lower by 2 than the figure 94 for
1927.
The great bulk of the 92 deaths, viz., 86 was due to phthisis.
Of the total number of deaths registered (1,238), the percentage due to
phthisis was 7.0 as against 6.0 in 1927. The age periods at which the deaths
occurred were: 5—15, 1 (1.0 per cent.); 15—25, 18 (21.0 per cent.); 25—45, 32
(37.2 per cent.); 45—65, 31 (36.1 per cent.); 65—75, 4 (4.7 per cent.).
The subject of phthisis is further discussed in connection with the notification
and prevention of tuberculosis.
The following table gives the mortality figures for each of the years from 1919.
It will be noted that though there have been occasional rises the tendency has all
the time been downwards. The reason for this will be discussed later.