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12
Of the 964 males who died, 56% had attained the age of 65. Of
the females the corresponding numbers were 961 and 71.
While these days much is being written and spoken about the ageing
of the population and the sociological problems this is leading to, less is
heard about the fact that to-day's improved conditions mean that many
fewer years are lost during the active working period of life. Compared
with the position of a hundred years ago, in general mortality has been
halved. The effect on different age groups has not been the same. The
mortality in early life is only one-sixth of what it was and in childhood
one-twentieth, whereas for those over 65 the average mortality rate for
men is still five-sixths and for women two-thirds of what it was a hundred
years ago. A point of importance to the community is the reduction
in the loss of productive capacity or the loss in working years caused by
premature death. In 1952 mortality represented a loss of 72 working
years for every thousand of the working population (i.e., aged 15 to 64).
A hundred years ago the corresponding figure was 497 so that the loss of
working capacity caused by early death is to-day only one-seventh of
what it used to be. The figures for tuberculosis in males are one-twentieth
and for females one-twentyfifth. Loss from violence, excluding suicide
but including road accidents is only one-third of what it was. There
has been little change in the loss of working life for men on account
of heart disease, but a greater loss is now being attributed to cancer.
Deaths in the young are due to tuberculosis, intestinal disorders, and
injury. In the interests of the productive capacity of the community these
are the conditions where improvement can save working time.
Infant Mortality
46 infants died under one year of age in 1953. In the same year
2,721 babies were born alive. The infant mortality rate was therefore
16.9. The rate for the country as a whole was 26.8. The rate for this
district for the years 1946 and onwards was 31.0, 24.0, 28.8, 20.7, 13.6,
22.1 and 21.7.
Of the 12 deaths that occurred in those that failed to survive twentyfour
hours, six were of those prematurely born, four deaths were due to
atelectasis, or developmental abnormalities, or disease, one to birth
injury, and one to accident. All but one of these deaths occurred in
infants whose mothers were confined in hospital.
Twelve infants survived twenty-four hours, but failed to survive
one week. In three the deaths were due to prematurity, in another three
atelectasis. Birth injury was responsible for the death of two, congenital
malformations another two, and two died from bronchial pneumonia.
The mothers of all these infants had been delivered in hospitals or similar
institutions.
Four of the seven infants who lived one week, but failed to survive
one month, died because of congenital developmental defects and two
from bronchial pneumonia. The mothers of all but one of these infants
had been delivered in hospital.
Infections accounted for most of the deaths of those that survived
one month, but died before reaching the age of one year. Of those who
reached the age of one, but failed to reach the age of three months, two