26

A. —4.

Unfortunately, European contact has meant the introduction of refined foodstufls, more especially fresh white bread and refined sugar, and in consequence disease, and particularly dental disease, has followed. The extent to which consumption by Samoans of European foods has a deteriorating effect on the teeth was very clearly revealed in the comparative survey of the dental condition of Samoan school-children from Apia (urban area) with those from the south-west corner of Savai'i geographically most remote from the influence of the infiltration of European foodstuffs. Over 62 per cent, of the Savai'i children examined had all sound teeth, whereas with Malifa and Avele (Apia) the percentages dropped to 41 and 33 • 8 respectively. With the European and mixed-descent group at Ifi Ifi who eat the minimum of Native foods and the maximum of European foods the percentage dropped as low as 20. Therefore, with a school population of over ten thousand children, the need for some form of dental health education and treatment is most evident. While it is too early to look for results from this service, nevertheless it is hoped that this valuable adjunct of the medical services will soon show the benefits of the introduction of such necessary preventive measures.

Infant Mortality. Deaths (Samoans) at Different Ages.

The infant-mortality rates per 1,000 registered births have been as follows :— Tear. Kate. Year. Kate. Year. Kate. Year. Kate. 1925 .. ..186 1929 .. .. 70 1932 .. ..121 1935 .. .. 97-0 1926 .. ..106 1930 .. .. 61 1933 .. ..114 1936 .. .. 291-77 1927 .. ..101 1931 .. ..11l 1934 .. ..104-8 1937 .. .. 89-30 1928 .. .. 58 It will be observed that the infant-mortality rate for 1937 is the lowest recorded for the past seven years, but it must be remembered that during the height of political non-co-operation, from 1928 to 1930, registration of births and deaths was very incomplete, and the figures quoted for those years cannot be accepted for the purpose of comparison. Attention is drawn, however, to the fact that if the figures for those three years are ignored, then the infant-mortality rate for the year 1937 is the lowest on record for the Territory.

Meteorological.

Number of Deaths. Percentage of Total Deaths. 1935. 1936. 1937. 1935. 1936. . 1937. Under 1 week .. .. .. .. 27 26 37 5-75 1-87 4-69 From 1 week to 1 month .. .. 17 24 15 3-63 1-72 1-90 From 1 month to 3 months .. .. 17 66 23 3-63 4-76 2-92 From 3 months to 6 months .. .. 20 120 40 4-26 8-65 5-08 From 6 months to 12 months .. .. 86' 239 97 18-34 17-22 12-31 From 1 year to 2 years .. .. .. 35 271 78 7-46 19-53 9-90 From 2 years to 3 years .. .. .. 26 122 36 5-55 8-79 4-57 From 3 years to 4 years .. .. .. 15 70 33 3-20 5-04 4-19 From 4 years to 5 years .. . . .. 7 45 29 1-49 3-24 3-68 From 5 years to 10 years .. .. 22 74 60 4-69 5-33 7-62 Over 10 years .. .. .. .. 197 331 340 42-00 23-85 43-14 Totals .. 469 1,388 788 100-00 100-00 100-00

(Readings taken at Apia Observatory, Mulinu'u Point, at Sea-level.) Month. Pressure. ; Temperature. , Bainfall. I Humidity. , Sunshine. Wind. I I ] I l_ Per Cent. Miles per 1937. In. °F. In. (9 a.m.) Hours. Hour. January .. .. 29-744 80-2 15-20 80 220-7 7-4 February .. .. 29-779 80-3 15-85 81 151-5 7-6 March .. .. 29-769 79-3 16-15 81 187-2 5-9 April .. .. 29-814 80-0 9-41 80 212-2 6-3 May .. .. 29-872 79-0 15-59 77 218-0 7-5 June .. .. 29-867 78-8 0-65 76 245-7 7-9 July .. .. 29-861 79-0 2-02 76 259-7 7-8 August .. .. 29-861 78-8 6-26 78 223-4 11-0 September .. .. 29-902 78-4 5-46 74 223-2 6-9 October .. .. 29-866 79-2 9-28 77 205-5 8-4 November .. .. 29-799 79-7 4-56 74 225-1 5-8 December .. .. 29-767 79-7 11-17 76 192-5 5-4 Total .. .. .. .. 111-60 .. 2,564-7 Mean .. .. 29-825 79-4 .. 77 7-3