308
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 14

The following remarks apply to the four principal boroughs only: The births in January were 237, against 195 in December—an increase of 42. The deaths amounted to 119, against 103 in December—an increase of 16. There were twenty-three deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards: Two men of 67 and 75, and five women of 65, 68, 73, 76, and 84, respectively, died at Auckland; two men of 67 and 76, and one woman of 68, at Wellington; three men of 68, 75, and 89, and seven women of 67 (2), 69, 74 (2), 75, and 76, at Christchurch; one man of 67, and two women of 72 and 90, at Dunedin.

Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.—The mortality from this class of disease at the four chief cities in January was at the rate of 16·81 per cent. of the total number of deaths, against 10·68 per cent. in December. The actual number of deaths from such causes in January was 20, against 11 in the previous month and 18 deaths in January of 1893. Of the 20 deaths which occurred last month 10 were at Auckland, 6 at Wellington, 3 at Christchurch, and 1 at Dunedin. Influenza caused 2 deaths at Christchurch, and whooping-cough 2 at Wellington. Typhoid fever was fatal in 3 cases at Auckland. Of 10 deaths (all of children) from diarrhœal diseases, 6 were at Auckland, 3 at Wellington, and 1 at Christchurch. The above, with 1 death from malaria of old standing followed by heart-disease, another from stricture of the urethra, and 1 from puerperal peritonitis, complete the total in the class.

Constitutional Diseases.—Of 29 deaths, 18 were from tubercular diseases, including 13 from phthisis, and 7 were from cancer. The total for the previous month was 25 deaths.

Local Diseases.—The total of deaths in the class was 47, 13 being from diseases of the nervous system, amongst which are noticed 4 deaths from apoplexy, 4 from paralysis, and 2 from locomotor ataxia or progressive muscular atrophy. From diseases of the digestive system there were also 13 deaths. Deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs were not numerous, as might be expected in January: they comprised 1 death from croup, 3 from bronchitis, and 1 from pneumonia. The remaining deaths were 10 from diseases of the circulatory system, 5 from diseases of the urinary system, and 1 from disease of the reproductive system, a case of premature labour.

Violent Deaths.—These include 5 by accident and 3 suicides. An aged woman was killed by accidentally falling on her head, and a man by falling downstairs. Another woman died from injuries received at a fire. A boy of thirteen was accidentally drowned, and an infant killed by injuries received at birth. One case of suicide was that of a farmer who poisoned himself with strychnine. A watchmaker, aged eighteen, shot himself while temporarily insane, and a tinsmith hung himself while in a similar condition.

The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at each of these four boroughs from six principal specific febrile or zymotic diseases, 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.

Registrar-General's Office,
Wellington, 17th February, 1894.

E. J. VON DADELSZEN,
Registrar-General.

Provisional Meteorological Return for January, 1894.

Note.—This table is prepared from unchecked averages, transmitted by telegraph in anticipation of the full returns, and must not be entirely relied on for compiling Meteorological Statistics.

Meteorological Office, Wellington, February, 1894.

JAMES HECTOR,
Director.