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39
Comparisons with 1929.
(i) A small increase in the measles fatalities, (ii) Whooping
Cough showed a decreased fatality in the first five years of life,
(iii) Some decrease in the number of deaths from diphtheria, (iv)
Considerable decrease in deaths from influenza, chiefly affecting
those over 65. (v) A decrease in deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis
which are largely concentrated between 15 and 45 years of
age. (vi) Cancer deaths remained practically the same with a preponderance
of deaths over 45 years of age, as in 1929. (vii) An
increase in cases attributed to senile decay, (viii) An increase in
deaths from organic heart disease and arterio-sclerosis. (ix) A decrease
in deaths from acute and chronic bronchitis, (x) Very great
decrease in deaths from influenzal pneumonia and from all other
forms of pneumonia, (xi) A decrease in infantile deaths from
diarrhoea, (xii) A decrease in deaths from nephritis, (xiii) A
slight increase in number of violent deaths.
Comments on Table VII.
(i) Cancer remains the chief cause of death between the ages of
55 and 65 years, (ii) Heart disease is the main cause of death
over 65, closely followed by cancer, (iii) Cancer remained, as in
1929 and 1928, the chief cause of death of persons dying in institutions.
(iv) The main causes of death in persons over 65—excluding
senile decay—were: Heart disease (239), Cancer (166),
Cerebral Haemorrhage (97), Pneumonia (82), and Chronic Bronchitis
(74). (v) Pneumonia still showed its maxima at both extremes
of life as in 1928 and 1929. (vi) The dangers run by an
infant during the first year of life. This is the most dangerous
time until the 45—55 age group is reached, (vii) Violent death
overtakes the older groups of the population more often than the
younger groups. Suicide was commonest between 35 and 45.
There are a few points of difference between Table VII. and
the short list of causes of death supplied by the Registrar-General.
The causes of the differences are due to the different methods of
classification when more than one cause of death is given on the
death certificate. For example, in the abbreviated table of the
Registrar-General there are 519 deaths from Heart Disease, whilst
Table VII. gives only 376. There are, however, given in the latter
table 120 deaths from Senile Decay, and 56 more deaths from
Bronchitis. A number of certificates state the deceased died from
Myocarditis and Senility, or Myocarditis and Chronic Bronchitis ;
in the local classification the latter cause has been taken as the
cause of death.
The percentage of deaths under 1 year of age to total deaths
was 7.3. Deaths under 15 years, 12.2%; deaths under 65 years,
53.2% ; deaths over 65 years, 46.8%.