PUBLIC HEALTH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 656, 5 November 1909, Page 9

PUBLIC HEALTH.

$ ■ ANNUAL REPORT. BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES. Duriug the eourse of tho annual report of i the; Public Health Department, ivhich was presented te the House on Tuesday, the late c Chief Health Officer (Dr. Mason) states that r the general health of the Dominion has been | good throughout thi , yeAr. There has been no , epidemic of infectious diseases of any great 1 magnitude. Diphthrria has apptare<l in vsrior.s r districts, but, fortunately, the dtath-rate has * been low. Outbreaks of «nt*rie fever have tal-.ta ' place in eev«rnl placw, the moat important be- ( ing that which occurred in Gisborne. The Department has for many years been urging upon , the of that citj the urgent nccossitj j there was for the installation of * proper systern of He felt hopeful regttrding tho ] 1 early undertaking _of a proper eys- ' tern of sewage disposal. Various loana hav« Veen raised for works pertaining to j public health in several of the large and many ' of tho small towns, and generally the progress \ has beon very satisfactory. > The number of births registered during 1908 was 23,940, or 27.43 in 1000 persons living. Tho number of births is 848 in excess of that for tho y*ar ( l9o7, an increase of 3.37 per cent. From 1882 until tho year 1899 there was ] .i legular fall in the rate. Tho births regis- < tcred in a year number 19,846 in 1884," and, 1 after fallinf! to 17,876 in 1892, have risen to ( 25,910 in 1908 n9 Stated above The number of i male children born during 1908 was 13,309, and ( of female , children 12,571; Tho following table' i shows tho number ' registered,. tho birth-rnto ' calculated on tho total population, and comparison with the average rate for 1532-8G taken < as 100. Indications of a grsdnal incieaso are ' , apparent, the improvement since 1699 boini? I 9.28 per cent, bn the rate per 1000 in that ytar. J PerldflOof 1 Year. Births. Population, i I ISB2-86 19,110 35 40 i ! 1687 19,135 32 09 ISSB 18,902 31,22 I 1889 18,157 30 07 I 1890 13.27S 29.M I IS9I 18,273 2SOI i 1892 17,876 27.83 I 1593 18.157 27 50 i Ib9l -... 18,328 27.23 . 1895 18,543 26.78 1898 18.H2 26 33 1897 18,737 25.C6 I IS9B 18,055 25 74 I 1693 I 8 830 25 12 , 1800 '. 19,516 25 60 1901 20,491 2G31 I 1902 20,655 23 89 , , 1903 i 21,829 26 61 I 1904 22,766 26.94 1905 23,682 27 22 1906 24,252 27.08 1907 25.091 27.30 .1908 25,910 27.45 Tho marriages for 1908 show an increase on the number for tho previous year. The number was 8339, or 147 more than in 1907. The rate per 1000 of the population nas 8.82 as agonist 891 in 1907. It is shoun by the table following that , there has been considerable increase in tho marriftge-rate, ivhioh has been abovo tho standard during eaflh of tho last 13 jears.— Per 1008 el T«r. ; Mcrria»es. Population, i 1882-8G 5.663 ««8 ISB7 3,583 5.97 i 1888 3,817 5.97 *" 1889 3,632 5 93 18S0 3.757 8.1! 1891 3,885 8.01 IM2 4,092 8 23 ISS3 4,115 8 22 1804 '. 4,178 8.15 1895 4,118 5.94 1856 4,843 8 85 1697 4.92S 8 88 MB9S 5,091 6 91 1899 5,461 7.28 19D0 5.8G0 7 67 1901 6,031 7 83 1962 6.8C4 8 01 IMS 6,748 8.23 1904 .' 6,983 8 20 1905 ....'..i 7,200 828 1900 ....i 7,592 8.43 1907' 8,192 8 91 190S , 8,339 • 8.82 Tho Registrar-General reports that the classification of causes of death in 1908 was made |p?/r the first time in New Zealand according to'tho Bertillon Index of DisSaios. It 'show.3 that tho principal causes of death were as uhder:— ' ' , " 1904. 1903. 1906. 1807. 1908 Tvphold fover .'..',.... 73 45 48 33 .00 Musics 10 8 12 101 19 Scarlet fever <.... 13 >10 18 25 60 Whooping cough .... 35 3 28 307 42 Influenza 113 70 132 223 61 Tuberculosis of tho lungs 598 408 556 Gl2 607 Other forms of tuberculosis 201 182 164 2-14 232 Cancer 571 S6C 623 674 657 Diabetes 90 79 104' 87 100 Simple meningitis,.. 102 110 138 ISO 136 Convulsions of chil- ' ' dren under 5 years of ago 114 li 6 lOC 104 96 Apoplexy 292 209 272 330 341 Pnfenmonia 408 -125 444 572 453 Gastritis and en- ■ ter.tis 383 379 335 518 478 Diarrhooal diseam 193 128 67 314 193 Cirrhosis of liver ... 53 • 40 44 42 52 Appendicitis - 53 69 Eβ 81 Bnght's disease and acute nephritis ... 200 2-12 241 268 263 Violence, suicide ....' 100 89 83 102 103 Violence, accidents 598 523 575 611 570 Other oauses 3912 4187 4252 4663 4401 Totals 8087 80fil 8339 100G6 9043