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The increase in the numbers of the sexes together for England and New Zealand is represented in the proportions below: — Deaths from Cancer in every 10,000 Persons living. Year. • New Zealand. England. Year. New Zealand. England. 1881 2-69 520 1900 5-63 8-28 1886 ... ... 3-68 5-90 1905 ... ... 6-51 8-85 1891 4-68 6-92 1906 ... ... 6-96 9-17 1896 ... ... 5-50 7-64 The actual number of deaths of persons of either sex and all ages registered in New Zealand during the last seventeen years was : — Males. Females. Totals. Males. Females. Totals. 1891 ... ... 154 141 295 1901 ... ... 265 250 515 1892 ... ... 173 134 307 1902 ... ... 296 240 536 1893 ... ... 188 144 332 1903 ... ... 325 257 582 1894 ... ... 240 168 408 1904 ... ... 323 248 571 1895 ... ... 208 175 383 1905 ... ... 313 253 566 1896 ... ... 205 184 389 1906 ... ... 337 286 623 1897 ... . 210 185 395 1907 ... ... 361 313 674 1898 ... ... 263 208 471 1899 271 197 468 Totals ... 4,378 3,567 7,945 1900 ... ~.246 184 430 MORTALITY FROM DEVELOPMENTAL DISEASES. The total of deaths from developmental diseases was 1,092, or 1188 per 10,000 persons living. The mortality from premature births comprised 359 deaths, and that from atelectasis, cyanosis, and other congenital defects 62 deaths. The proportion of deaths from premature birth varies from 12 to 15 out of every 1,000 births, and that from congenital defects from 2 to 4 per 1,000 births. Particulars for ten years exhibit the annual rates :- — Number and Proportions per 1,000 Births. Deaths from Premature Birth. Deaths from Congenital Defects. Year Number Proportion Number Pro P°rti°n * ear - iNumDer. p6 r 1,000. .Number. per I>ooo< 1898 ... ... ... 251 13-24 ... 54 2-85 1899 ... ... ... 261 13-86 ... 47 2-50 1900 ... ... ... 276 14-12 ... 55 2-81 1901 ... ... ... 264 12-88 ... 63 3-07 1902 ... ... ... 303 14-66 ... 79 3-82 1903 ... ... ... 301 13-79 ... 67 307 1904 ... ... ... 291 12-78 ... 58 2-54 1905 ... ... ... 360 15-20 ... 41 1-73 1906 ... ... ... 337 13-90 ... 51 2-10 1907 ... ... ... 359 14-31 ... 62 2-47 Stating the result in another way, there was one death from premature birth to every 70 births in 1907, and one death from congenital defect to every 405 births. In England the proportrion of deaths from premature birth to every 1,000 births was as high as 2038 in the year 1906. OLD AGE. Deaths from old age in 1907 numbered 671, against 588 in 1906. MORTALITY PROM LOCAL DISEASES. Death by diseases of the nervous system were 910, or 9 - 04 out of every 100 deaths from all causes, and 990 out of every 10,000 persons living. Of the 910 deaths, 330 were due to apoplexy, 110 to convulsions, and 130 to inflammation of the brain and its membranes. Paralysis, including hemiplegia and paralysis of the insane, caused 159 deaths, and locomotor ataxia 14 deaths. Paraplegia, with diseases of the spinal cord, caused 32 deaths. Deaths from nervous diseases (excluding convulsions'of children) numbered 800, or B'7o per 10,000 persons living. Diseases of the circulatory system resulted in 1,233 deaths, being 1225 out of every 100 from all causes, and 1341 per 10,000 persons living. Of Uhe total number in this order, endocarditis and valvular disease of the heart contributed 805 deaths. From angina pectoris there were 32 deaths, from syncope 192, from aneurism 36, and from other forms of heart-disease (hypertrophy, fatty degeneration, and pericarditis) 77. Diseases of the respirator}? system show 1,146 deaths, of which 958 were attributable to bronchitis and pneumonia. Taken together, these two complaints were the cause of more deaths than was phthisis; and adding 48 from pleurisy, 20 from croup, 32 from laryngitis, and 88 from other respiratory diseases, the mortality in the order is found to be 1139 per cent, of the total deaths, and 12 - 47 per 10,000 of the population. Deaths from diseases of the digestive system also formed a large, proportion of the whole (996 per cent.), the number being 1,003. Enteritis was most fatal, showing 419 deaths, liver-diseases (104), gastritis (99) coming next, while 86 deaths were due to apendicitis.

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