FEB. 19.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 191

CLASS III.—LOCAL DISEASES.

AUCKLAND. WELLINGTON. CHRISTCHURCH. DUNEDIN. TOTAL.

ORDER 1:—
Diseases of Nervous System,—
Meningitis ... 1 2 2 ... 5
Apoplexy ... ... 1 1 2
Epilepsy ... 1 ... 2 2 6
Convulsions ... 2 2 1 ... 1
Diseased Spine ... ... ... 1 1

ORDER 2:—
Diseases of Organs of Circulation,—
Aneurism ... ... ... 1 1
Heart Disease 2 1 1 ... 6

ORDER 3:—
Diseases of Respiratory Organs,—
Bronchitis ... ... ... 1 2
Pulmonary Congestion ... ... 1 ... 2

ORDER 4:—
Diseases of Digestive Organs,—
Intestinal Obstruction ... ... 1 ... 1
Enteritis ... 1 1 ... 2
Peritonitis ... 1 1 ... 2
Liver Disease ... 1 ... 1
Hepatitis Ascites ... 1 ... 1

ORDER 5:—
Diseases of Urinary Organs,—
Bright's Disease ... ... 1 ... 1

ORDER 7:—
Diseases of Organs of Locomotion,—
Caries ... ... ... 1 ... 1

CLASS IV.—DEVELOPMENTAL DISEASES.

ORDER 1:—
Developmental Diseases of Children,—
Premature Birth ... 1 1 1 4
Cyanosis ... ... 1 1 2
Teething ... ... 1 ... 2

ORDER 3:—
Developmental Diseases of Old People,—
Senile Debility ... ... 1 ... 1

ORDER 4:—
Diseases of Nutrition,—
Debility ... 1 1 1 3
Atrophy ... 1 ... 1

CLASS V.—VIOLENT DEATHS.

ORDER 1:—
Accident or Negligence,—
Burns ... ... ... 1 ... 1

Totals ... 11 40 32 35 118

The following remarks apply only to the above four principal boroughs :—
The births were 295 in January, against 230 in December, an increase of 65.
The deaths in January were 118, against 91 in December, an increase of 27.
There were 4 deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards, viz., 1 female of 72 at Wellington, 1 male of 72 at Christchurch,
and 2 males of 65 and 72 at Dunedin.

Zymotic Diseases.—These diseases caused a greatly increased mortality in January. In November they caused 11 deaths;
in December, 36; and in January, 50. Of these deaths in January, dysentery and diarrhœa caused 35, against 20 in December.
Of the 21 cases of death from these causes in Wellington, 7 were of children under 6 months old, and 9 of children from 6 to
12 months. Of the 11 cases in Christchurch, 3 were of children under 6 months, and 5 of children from 6 to 12 months. Of
the whole 35 deaths, 25 were of children under one year, or at an age when they would not readily have had access to cold
water, and to whom cold water is not usually given. This fact is noticed as the increase in this class of deaths is often popularly
attributed to the character of the drinking water, and thus causes are overlooked arising from improper diet and the neglect
of the observance of strict cleanliness, not only in the use of infants' feeding vessels, but also in the domestic and outside
arrangements of the house, so as to preserve the milk used by infants from contact with impure air, which it readily absorbs.
The deaths from enteric fever amounted to 4 in January, against 1 in December.

Constitutional Diseases increased from 9 in December to 20 in January. Of these, phthisis alone caused 12 deaths.
Local Diseases also showed a large increase. The deaths were 29 in December and 35 in January. Of these, deaths from
inflammatory diseases of the brain (meningitis, &c.) increased from 1 to 5. Heart disease also caused an increased number of deaths.

Violent Deaths.—There was only 1 death in January in the four boroughs of this class, viz., an adult female, who died at
Dunedin from the effects of burns.

The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at each of these four boroughs from six principal Zymotic
diseases of the Miasmatic order, and also the deaths from certain inflammatory diseases of the lungs. These causes of death
have been distinguished from the others of the classes to which they belong, as being the most important special diseases which
give rise to sudden increases in the death-rates of towns, and the prevalence of which is closely connected with sanitary
condition and climatic influence of the season on health,