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of the total deaths and gives a death rate for this cause of 1.4 per
thousand population, the same as in the year before.
All but eight were over the age of 55 years and the distribution
between the sexes was 50 male and 37 female. Twenty of these
deaths were ascribed to uncomplicated degeneration of the heart
muscle.
Cancer. Cancer was responsible for the second largest group
of deaths, claiming 47 victims, 18 being males and 29 females.
The total is 7 less than in the year before and gives a death rate
of 0.80 per thousand population.
The classification of these deaths by the organs affected is
shown in Table 5. It will be noted that disease of the digestive
organs accounted for rather more than half of these deaths and
that, contrary to general experience, fatal illness in this situation
was twice more frequent in females than in males. The slightly
heavier mortality among females, which is to be expected owing
to the proneness of the female genital organs to cancer, was increased
by this markedly greater incidence of digestive disease in the
female sex. Allocation of these deaths by wards is as follows:—