1000
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 45

In the first table are given the deaths and death-rates for each of the four cities, for the suburban boroughs severally, and for each city with its suburban towns. As regards Auckland and Christchurch, the whole of the area usually recognised as suburban has not yet been brought under municipal government, and the vital statistics do not deal with such portions as still remain in road districts. But the omission is not very important, for there are in either case quite enough suburbs included within borough boundaries to give a fair idea of the death-rate of Greater Auckland and Greater Christchurch. As further boroughs are formed the vital statistics will be made to include them.

The inclusion of the suburban boroughs tends to lower the rates at Auckland and Wellington, but raises it at Christchurch and Dunedin. The rates for May are,—

Including the suburbs, the rate at Auckland is the highest and at Dunedin the lowest.

Compared with May, 1897, the results are,—

Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.—There were 28 deaths from this class of disease at the four centres with their suburbs in May, against 30 in April, 43 in March, and 53 in February. Influenza caused 3 deaths in May, against 22 in February. One death during last month was at Auckland and 2 at Wellington. Diphtheria was also fatal in May at Auckland and Wellington—1 death at each place. Typhoid fever caused 8 deaths—5 at Auckland and 3 at Wellington. Thus all the deaths from miasmatic diseases during May were at the two northern cities. In Sub-order 2, diarrhoeal diseases, another fall of mortality took place in May, the deaths having been 8 (2 at Auckland, 1 at Wellington, 1 at Christchurch, and 4 at Dunedin), against 17 in April and 26 in March. The other deaths in the class were—4 from syphilis (3 at Wellington and 1 at Christchurch), 2 from pyaemia, also at Wellington, and 1 from erysipelas at Christchurch.

Constitutional Diseases.—The deaths increased from 35 in April to 44 in May. Of these, for last month, 22 were from cancer and 18 from phthisis. Seven of the deaths from cancer were at Wellington.

Local Diseases.—Of 84 deaths in May, against 59 in April, at the four cities and suburbs, 24 were from diseases of the nervous system (6 apoplexy, 5 paralysis, 3 meningitis), 20 of the circulatory system (heart-disease and angina pectoris), 11 of the respiratory system (bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma), 17 of the digestive system, 8 of the urinary system, 2 of the reproductive system, and 1 each of the organs of locomotion and integumentary system.

Violent Deaths.—These numbered 9, all accidental. A carpenter died of injury to the-knee, a toy-maker was knocked down by a cart and killed, a gardener and a cook were burned, and a child died from injury to head at birth. All these deaths were at Auckland. A mariner was found drowned and a child asphyxiated at Wellington; another child was suffocated in bed at Christchurch. A woman also died from the effects of a broken leg at Dunedin.

The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at each of the four centres 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.