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120
as against one to 62.9 in 1886. Out of 70,500 males, 1,410 died,
equal to one in 50.0, against one in 52.4 in 1886; whilst only
1,462 females died out of 104,550, or one in 71.4, against one
in 72.8 in 1886. The deaths in the first and fourth, or colder
quarters, exceeded those in the second and third, or warmer
quarters, by 272. In the seven preceding years the difference
in favour of the warmer quarters was 240, 120, 355, 251, 132,
22, and 320 consecutively.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The deaths of young children always bear a high ratio to
total deaths. In 1887 this ratio was rather higher than in
immediately preceding years. The deaths under five years
were 1,129 (568 in the first and fourth quarters, and 561 in
the second and third quarters), compared with 1,114, 982,
1,034, 1,085, and 1,029 in the five preceding years; being
equal to 39.3 per cent. on total deaths, and to 28.6 on births
registered: the equivalent percentages for the whole Metropolis
were 42.8 and 26.4. Under one year of age the deaths were
680 (compared with 635, 601, 689, 653, and 636 in 1882-3-4-5-6
consecutively), and were equal to 23.7 per cent. on total deaths,
and to 17.2 per cent. on registered births; the equivalent percentages
for the whole Metropolis being 24.3 and 15.8.
The deaths of illegitimate children under five years of age
were 104, males 57, females 47 (of which 95 were registered in
the Town sub-district), as against 114, 78, 80, 86, and 104 in
the five preceding years, and were equal to 55.2 per cent. on
births registered as illegitimate. Of these 104 children only
29 outlived their first year, and 17 died in the second year of
life. The causes of death, as registered, were atrophy, debility,
inanition, 17; premature birth, 11; tubercular diseases, 14;
zymotic diseases, 22 (diarrhoea, 11; measles, 8; whoopingcough,
3); syphilis, 6; lung diseases, 19; convulsions, 3;
injuries at birth, 2; thrush, 2; spasm of glottis, enteritis,
erysipelas (after vaccination), blood poisoning in utero),