YEAR’S TOLL OF DEATHS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5268, 30 April 1928, Page 4

YEAR’S TOLL OF DEATHS.

POSITION DURING 1027.

FURTHER REDUCTION IN RATE

Stat stics prepared by the Healtn authorities show that there wore 11.819 deaths recorded in New Zealand during 1927, this number represesting a proport’on. of 84 deaths per 10.000 of mean population as against 87 for the preceding year. For sev-, eral years the Dominion* has. registered the lowest general death rate and infantile death rate in the world, and the lowest or second lowest tuberculosis death rate, while in New Zealand the common infectious d'seases are much milder, in type and less deadly than in most other countrion Despite the further reduction in the death rate for last year, however, the department considers that losse- firm some causes of death can still bo <" nsidcrably reduced with reasonable and inexpensive precautions.

A return compiled by the Health Department shows the principal causes of the 11,819 deaths in Mow Zealand in 1927 to be from the fcilow' ing diseases.:. Heart disease (all forms). 2000 ; cancer, 1324 ; violence. 900 ; senility, 850 ; apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage. 700 ; tuberculosi s (all forms), 668 ; common ehed dis* oases (non-tubercular). pneumonm. broncho-pneumonia and bronchitis. 600. Excluding senility, these diseases arc known as the “big six,” and together with senility they were responsible for approximately twothirds of the total deaths last year. In regard to the remaining third, about 4000, approximately 709 of them occurred in. infancy. Kidney and Bright’s diseases caused 4*lo, diabetes I'so, diseases and accidents of childbirth 136, diarrhoea and enteritis 130, diseases of the- arteries 100. appendicitis 100, hernia and' intestinal obstruction 100, meningitis (all forms) 60, epilepsy 50. The department states that when they come to the common infectious diseases, such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles, which regularly receive their close attention, they lind diphtheria (50) a steadily diminishing cause of death. Scarlet fever, though epidemic last year, aecouuteid for no more than 16 deaths, while the', e were 11 deaths from typhoid fever. The past year was not a measles or whooping cough year. When measles were epidemic, as in 1924, the cleat,hs; would rise fi cm a few to 50, and as regards whooping cough from about 20 to 100, as happened in. 1926.

Commenting on, the death l rate in the Dominion during 1927, the Director of Public Hygiene, Dr. T'. McKibbin, told a Waikato Times repojiter that t'he latter easily recognisable and readily preventible causes of death an<] also disablement received the department’s close attention, particularly in cpide.m'c periods . The measures for prevention taken throughout the civilised world had remarkably reduced their effects, whic’h once were very serious indcml and still were somewhat mo'rp important owing to their after-effects than the deaths figures alone would indicate. The doctor said that more couid be done with the “big six.” Obviously rash motoring needlessly increase I the deaths from violence, and accidental deaths we'ic on the increase. “We know not the cause of cancer,” added the doctor. “It is increasing in prevalence at a slow, not a rapid rate. Being a disease of late life, ami having in the past often missed detection or registration, its apparent inCrease is in considerable measure accounted for by our larger span of life ared greater sk’ll in diagnosis. The real increase is slight, and can be checked if- advice amd treatment be sought early in the disease. Re,cent results show that the proportion of actual cures from the treatment of early cancer j s very high indeed. It has always been an impo'tant cause of death, but results show that nowadays submission to sk’llc.-l treatment at an early stage is worth while. A proportion of the common; chest diseases, — pneumonia, broncho .pneu-

mon hi. and' bronchitis—ar c prc'-?'t-iblc. Some arc. definitely infection. 1 :, being secondary manifestations in measles, influenza, etc. If complete case isolation be practised by doctor and nurse in cases where infectivity is probable the death rate from these causejs can be effectively reduced. Climate apparently is a factor affecting the severity of chest diseases. The death rate for the South Island from tlic causes is slightly higher than the North. Undoubted!} 1 an open lair life, an open, bedroom window, and tnc avoidance of overcrowding both in dwellings and in indoor public places reduces the death rate from chest complaints.” .

REDUCTION ift TUBERCULOSIS

: Dr. McKibbin said that the deathrate from tuberculosis. was steadily reducing in most civilised countries., and particularly in New Zealand. With an annual, loss of 668 lives from this cause, however, there was ample room for improvement. Probably New Zealand owed .her comparatively low tuberculosis death rate to healthy home, school, and work-place environment, nourishing food, and excellent Climate- and' the rarity of overcrowd-’ stances, of bad habits and environing. But there were exceptional inment which. Should not exist. A very small proportion only of the cases of tuberculosis were considered to be due to milk supply. The great majority were ’human in o'rigi.n.. Included in the large total of 2000 deaths from all forms of heart disease were a large number of instances of failure of the pumping o'rgan in association with a generally diseased or worn-out body. A proportion of the heart cases, however, especially of those in which death occurred at an early age, were preventible. Obviously spasmodic spurts of physical activity by sedentary persons indulging in over-eating will strain the heart a»!d may induce heart diseases or apoplexy. “A good heart ruK” said the doctor, “is to eat sparingly and keep consistently fit. and the fact that the world’s, .healthiest country loses 2000 persons annually from heart diseases indicates that wei -do not keep consistently fit.” The doctor remarked that it was

noteworthy that the infant welfare, field had been very fully exploited in New Zeia'lanld and that the scope for further reductions in infant deaths was limited. The annual loss of 136 women from diseases and accidents of childbirth, however, admitted of reduction. “Enough has been said,” concluded Dr. McKibbin. “to show that it is by attention to the ‘big six’ that the greatest hope is offered of reduction in a general death rate which is already comparatively Low, and that it is only by the willing cooperation of tiie public, the. medical practitioners, and the Department of Health in disease prevention: in the home, school, and workplace environment of the people that great reduc-i tions in our death rate will, be made. It is particularly necessary to correct bad living habits, to treat disease in its early stages, and where possible to prevent the spread of any infectious illness,"