M 161
(11) Deaths from Violence and other External Causes.
There has been some confusion in the registration of this group of causes owing to delayed Coroners' findings and the fact that the Mortuary returns state cause of death only and not the action which produced it. Thus a large number of persons may be "found drowned" but whether suicide, homicide or accident is not always stated.
Generally speaking, Violent death is common in the Colony and Suicide frequent among the Chinese. The latter amounted to 26 (in 1928). Deaths from street accidents amounted to 55.
The total (for 1928) of deaths from External or Violent causes was as follows:-
Chinese Non-Chinese Total 358 21 379In addition to the above is a large group of deaths with no specified cause owing to mutilation or decomposition.
These unclassified human remains amounted, in 1928, to the large number of 550 (all Chinese).
They are of importance as creating a further error in any of the other groups and as an indication of the degree of concealment of death or general lawlessness.
The following table shows the total deaths taken from Coroners' returns, for the year 1928, classified according to age and sex.
Age Periods. Males. Females. Grand Totals. Under 2 Years 2,103 2,350 4,453 Over 2 Years 942 434 1,376 Totals.... 3,045 2,784 5,829