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1930
27
Ward Distribution of the Deaths.
North East. North West. South East. South West.
196 168 143 186
Death-rate of each Ward.
North East. North West. South East. South West.
10.3 12.3 9.5 10.6
The comparatively high death-rate in the North- West Ward
is probably due to the age-distribution of the population in the
different wards.
Causes of Death.
In some of the important causes of death, I have endeavoured
to bring our returns to correspond with those of the Registrar
General, but in several others, the figures are hopelessly at
variance. The total number of deaths is the same as that of the
Registrar General, and this also holds true of the principal infectious
diseases, and some causes such as suicide and other violent
deaths, though in the. case of the latter some difficulty arises.
In the manual of the international list of causes of death
issued by the Registrar General, certain rules are given for the
selection of one or more jointly stated causes of death. Where
any forms, of violence and disease are jointly stated as causes of
death, the violence is to be preferred except in the following
instances :—
(a) Deaths from any definite disease stated to have been
accelerated, aggravated, &c. by accident are to be classed to the
disease.
(b) Deaths from tetanus, erysipelas, pyaemia, septicaemia,
blood poisoning, &c., following accident are to be classed to the
disease if the injury is slight, such as "scratch" or abrasion, but
if the injury was apparently severe enough to be of itself dangerous
to life (e.g. by vehicle, machinery, &c.), the death is to be classed
to violence.
Unfortunately the verdict given at an inquest does not always
give sufficient evidence upon these points. For instance there
were three inquests and in all cases it was stated that the cause
of death was Myocarditis accelerated by an accident. In one case
the accident was a fall downstairs, in the second the man had
fallen out of bed, but in the third the woman wa.s knocked down
by a motor cycle in the street. Obviously the latter was a violent
death though a specific disease was mentioned.
In another case it was stated that the cause of death was
Pneumonia and acute Phlebitis accelerated by being knocked
down by a motor van. Other verdicts might be quoted which
show that there are difficulties in assigning the cause of death,
but these are insignificant compared with the vagueness and
indefiniteness of some of the certificates which are sent by
medical practitioners. It is unfortunate, but true, that under