762 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 19

Specific Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.—The mortality from these diseases at Auckland and Wellington, with their suburbs, was higher in 1902 than in the previous year. The total deaths in this class were 209 for 1901 and 356 for 1902 at the four centres.

Deaths from Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.

Auckland and Wellington and Christchurch and Dunedin and Total.
Suburbs. Suburbs. Suburbs. Suburbs.
1902 165 108 48 35 356
1901 70 46 54 39 209

Of the above, diarrhœal diseases caused most deaths in 1902 at the four centres taken together, the total number being 125. Measles came next with 92 deaths, whooping-cough 38, influenza 29, diphtheria 19, typhoid fever 17, scarlet fever 11, and other zymotic complaints 25.

Comparison of the deaths for each city shows,—

Zymotic, &c., Diseases. Auckland. Wellington. Christchurch. Dunedin.
1902. 1901. 1902. 1901. 1902. 1901. 1902. 1901.
Diarrhœal Diseases 67 31 19 10 31 10 8 6
Influenza 10 14 9 14 3 25 7 21
Typhoid Fever 10 11 3 5 2 6 2 2
Measles . . 40 .. 49 .. .. .. 3 2
Scarlet Fever 1 1 1 .. 5 1 4 ..
Bubonic Plague 3 .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Diphtheria 12 2 .. 7 2 2 5 2
Whooping-cough . . 18 1 17 1 1 1 2 1
Chicken-pox .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. ..
Other Zymotic Diseases 4 10 10 9 4 8 4 5

Parasitic Diseases.—Hydatids and worms were fatal at Auckland (1 death each).

Dietetic Diseases.—These numbered 24, 7 being due to want of breast-milk, or malnutrition, 16 to alcoholism and delirium tremens, and 1 to infantile scurvy.

Constitutional Diseases.—The deaths at the four towns numbered 481 in 1902. The first in importance of these diseases, and of all causes of death, is tuberculosis. The figures for 1901 and 1902 show 263 and 254 deaths for each year respectively.

Phthisis and other Tubercular Diseases.—

                         1902.                            1901.
                  Phthisis.   Other Tubercular Diseases.   Phthisis.   Other Tubercular Diseases.

Auckland . . 42 11 41 9
Wellington 49 19 55 25
Christchurch 57 12 43 11
Dunedin . . 44 20 68 11
—— —— —— ——
192 62 207 56

The mortality from tubercular diseases for 1902 is 9·78 per cent. of the total deaths at the four boroughs and their suburbs from all causes.

Deaths from cancer rose at the chief towns from 154 in 1901 to 165 in 1902. The latter number is 6·35 per cent. of deaths for the year from all causes.

The number of deaths from cancer at the four chief towns and their suburbs for each of the last five years was as under :—

Auckland and suburbs 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902.
25 40 32 32 44
Wellington 43 27 36 38 37
Christchurch " 43 40 32 41 25
Dunedin " 49 44 45 43 59
—— —— —— —— ——
160 151 145 154 165

Diabetes shows 26 deaths in 1902 against 24 in 1901.

Developmental Diseases.—There were 255 deaths in this class, of which 106 were from premature births, 122 from old age, and 27 from other causes.

Local Diseases.—Deaths in this class were 141 more than in 1901, the figures being 1,266 against 1,125. Diseases of the respiratory system show 337 deaths for 1902, or more than one-fourth of the whole mortality in the class, against 308 in the former year. Bronchitis, pneumonia, congestion of the lungs, pleurisy, and allied diseases form this group.

Under the head of “Diseases of the Digestive System” there were 250 deaths at the four centres, including 94 from enteritis; peritonitis, 18; gastritis, 18; cirrhosis of liver, 18; jaundice, 9; and dentition, 22.

Diseases of the urinary system caused 92 deaths. The remaining deaths were—267 from nervous diseases, 1 disease of organs of special sense, 262 of organs of the circulatory, 9 of the lymphatic, 31 of the reproductive systems, 13 of the organs of locomotion, and 4 of the integumentary system.

Violent Deaths.—There were 109 violent deaths, 80 of which were classed as accidental. Three of these latter were caused by fractures, and 8 by falls. In 6 cases deaths resulted from the deceased being run over by a cart, tram, train, &c. Five deaths were from burns or scalds, 18 by drowning, 11 by suffocation, 2 by poisoning, 3 by misadventure with chloroform; besides 7 from accident at birth, and 17 others.

Of 29 suicides, 9 were by shooting, 5 by cutting throat, 7 by poison, 2 by hanging, 3 by drowning, 1 by an explosive, 1 by strangling, and 1 by throwing himself from a window.

GEO. DRURY,
Deputy Registrar-General.

Registrar-General’s Office,
Wellington, 5th March, 1903.