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Inquests. Inquests were held on 19 deaths occurring in
the district, 12 of which were in respect of residents. The
verdicts returned were as follows:—
(1) Natural Causes 3
(2) Suicide by—
Lysol Poisoning 1
Coal Gas Poisoning 3
— 4
(3) Accidental Deaths—
Injury from train collision 1
Collision with motor vehicles 4
Asphyxia by suffocation 1
Asphyxia due to rubber ligature encircling
neck 1
Fall in street 1
Fall from tree 1
Fall at home 1
— 10
(4) Misadventure—
Bilateral Mastoiditis and Otitis 1
— 1
(5) Other violent causes-
Fracture of skull 1
— 1
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The total number of inquests held were twelve less than in
the year before. Road accidents were responsible for four of
the total accidental deaths, compared with twelve for the previous
year.
CAUSES OF DEATH.
Heart disease resumes its place at the head of the list of
causes of death this year with 163, and cancer, which last year
headed the list with 126 is relegated to second place with 118.
that being the total for all types of cancer. This is a welcome
drop in the number of deaths from this disease and the rate has
fallen correspondingly from 1.7 per thousand population last
year to 1.5 this year — the lowest rate since 1942.
There were 32 deaths from tuberculosis and while this fall
in the number of deaths from tuberculosis is very welcome in
view of the environmental conditions operating at the present
time, it is a sad fact that unlike heart disease and cancer, tuberculosis
takes its toll mainly from the younger age groups, 15-35.
This is a national racial as well as a personal tragedy. 163
deaths from heart disease is at first sight a formidable figure and
is in fact 26.6 per cent of the total deaths, but many of these
have had their three score years and ten and octogenarians and
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