H.—3l.

PART 11. —PUBLIC HYGIENE.

I have the honour to submit my annual report for the year ended 31st March, 1940. SECTION I.—VITAL STATISTICS. (Exclusive of Maoris unless otherwise stated.) POPULATION. The mean population of the Dominion for 1939 was estimated to be 1,539,420, an increase of 19,814 over the corresponding figure for 1938. BIRTHS. The births of 28,833 living children were registered during 1939, an increase of 1,584 over the previous year. The birth-rate per 1,000 of mean population was 18-73. The birth-rate reached its lowest level in 1935, when the rate was 16-17 ; it has increased each year since then, the rates being 16-64, 17-29, 17-93, and 18-73. The last-mentioned rate is the highest since 1930. Whilst some satisfaction can be expressed at the rising tendency in the birth-rate, the increasing percentage of first births to total births indicates that it is largely the result of the increase in the marriage rate during recent years. New Zealand's future cannot be viewed without misgiving unless the position continues to improve. DEATHS. Deaths registered during 1939 numbered 14,158, a decrease of 596 from the number of deaths in the previous year. The crude death-rate was 9-20 per thousand, compared with 9-71 in 1938. During 1938 pneumonia accounted for 613 deaths, in 1939 for only 311. Measles was epidemic in 1938 and 163 deaths were due to this cause, as compared with eight in 1939. Deaths from violence dropped from 999 in 1938 to 881 in 1939. Thus these three causes were responsible for 575 fewer deaths in 1939 than in 1938. Still-births. A still-born child is defined as one " which has issued from its mother after the expiration of the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, and which was not alive at the time of issue." In 1939 still-births numbering 900 were registered, an increase of 157 over the figure for the previous year. The still-birth rate per 1,000 total births was 30-27, the highest rate since 1930. The rate per 1,000 live births was 31-21. The Principal Causes op Death. The following table gives the main causes of death during the year, the actual number of deaths therefrom, and the death-rates per 10,000 of mean population for each of the last five years:—-

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1939. 1938. 1937. 1930. 1935. Cause. Number. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Heart-disease (all forms) .. .. 4,279 27-80 27-45 26-25 24-43 23-34 Cancer .. .. .. .. 1,815 11-79 11-76 11-82 11-81 11-18 Violence .. .. .. .. 881 5-72 6-57 5-99 5-79 5-25 Pneumonia .. .. .. .. 311 2-02 4-03 3-36 2-68 1-62 Pneumonia (secondary to influenza), 89 0-58 1-23 0-47 0-68 0-22 whooping-cough, and measles Bronchitis .. .. .. .. 210 1-36 1-32 1-14 1-35 1-34 Broncho-pneumonia .. .. .. 308 2-00 2-33 1-72 1-61 1-63 Tuberculosis (all forms) .. .. .. 613 3-98 3-93 3-91 4-56 3-89 Kidney or Bright's disease .. .. 534 3-47 3-82 3-89 3-96 3-56 Apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage .. 888 5-77 5-61 5-37 5-09 4-87 Diseases of the arteries .. .. .. 532 3-46 3-62 3-62 2-99 2-96 Senility .. .. .. .. 333 2-16 2-64 2-37 2-55 2-39 Diabetes .. .. .. .. 344 2-23 1-88 1-83 1-59 1-53 Hernia and intestinal obstruction .. .. 108 0-70 0-72 0-81 0-66 0-67 Diseases and accidents of childbirth (puerperal 105 0-68 0-72 0-63 0-62 0-68 mortality) Appendicitis .. .. .. .. 106 0-69 0-77 0-77 0-80 0-72 Diarrhoea and enteritis .. .. .. 70 0-45 0-64 0-33 0-40 0-55 Epilepsy .. .. .. .. 40 0-26 0-32 0-37 0-33 0-29 Common Infectious Diseases. Influenza (all forms, including pneumonic) .. 170 1-10 0-88 0-73 0-94 0-74 Diphtheria .. .. .. .. 24 0-16 0-20 0-16 0-13 0-22 Whooping-cough .. .. .. 2 0-01 0-14 0-08 0-32 0-28 Scarlet fever .. .. .. .. 2 0-01 0-01 0-04 0-05 0-05 Typhoid and paratyphoid .. .. 4 0-02 0-05 0-06 0-05 0-07 Measles .. .. .. .. 8 0-05 1-07 0-02 0-02 0-01