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Inquests. Inquests were held on 26 deaths occurring in
the district, 14 of which were in respect of residents. The
verdicts returned were as follows:—
(1) Natural Causes 4
(2) Suicide by—
Coal Gas Poisoning 5
Fall from Roof 1
Fall from Window 1
Strangulation by Hanging 1
— 8
(3) Accidental Deaths-
Asphyxia from Smoke Fumes 1
Collisions with Motor Vehicles 4
Fall in Home 3
Fall from Trolley-bus 1
Knocked down by Pedal Cycle 1
Run over by Train 1
— 11
(4) Misadventure—
Death by Drowning 1
Death by Electrocution 1
Fall from Roof 1
— 3
26
The total number of inquests held were six more than in
the year before. Road accidents were responsible for six of
the total accidental deaths, compared with two for the previous
year.
CAUSES OF DEATH.
Heart Disease, with 142 deaths, was the commonest cause
of death and next in order of frequency once more comes
Cancer with 116 deaths.
In considering the question of heart disease being represented
statistically as the commonest cause of death, and before
coming to the conclusion that heart disease is a common
disease, it should be remembered that it is given a high priority
on the selection list of Causes of Death, where two or more
conditions are recorded on the death certificate, and as heart
failure in one form of nomenclature or another appears on the
majority of death certificates it inevitably achieves the highest
15