28.
M 121
9. Causes of death,
The mortality returns were based upon the International List of Causes of Death, 1931, instead of on the older list of 1926.
(a) DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM (NON-TUBERCULOUS). Respiratory diseases—excluding pulmonary tuberculosis—were again responsible in 1938 for the largest individual proportion of deaths.
Deaths from bronchitis, broncho-pneumonia and pneumonia, etc., numbered 12,057 as compared with 10,380 in 1937.
The ratio of deaths from this group to deaths from all causes also rose from 300 to 311 per 1,000.
(b) TUBERCULOSIS.
Tuberculosis attained second place on the list of deaths in 1938 with 4,920 deaths against 4,028 in 1937. The large majority of these were due to the pulmonary form. The ratio to deaths from all causes rose from 116 to 127 per thousand.
29. As may be seen from Table XI almost one third of these deaths were recorded as taking place in the age period 25 to 45 years corresponding to the more productive time of life.
Table XI.
DEATHS FROM TUBERCULOSIS (ALL FORMS), 1938.
No. of deaths. Age group Males Females Total Percentage of deaths from tuberculosis at different age periods (approximate) Under 24 hours 24 hours to 1 year 136 164 300 6 1 to 5 years 390 333 723 15 5 to 15 years 288 223 511 10 15 to 25 years 367 280 647 13 25 to 45 years 969 639 1,608 33 45 to 65 years 655 296 951 19 65 years and over 96 84 180 4 Unknown age Total 2,901 2,019 4,92030.
(c) ENTERITIS.
Third in order of importance came enteritis. Some 2,055 deaths were recorded in children under one year of age from this cause as compared with 2,365 in the previous year; while 1,801 deaths took place in persons at ages over one year (2,120 in 1937) making totals of 3,856 and 4,485 for 1938 and 1937 respectively.
(d) INFECTIOUS DISEASES OTHER THAN TUBERCULOSIS.
Mention has been made elsewhere in this Report of the serious outbreaks of cholera, cerebro-spinal meningitis and smallpox in 1938 which three diseases alone accounted for 363, 223 and 1,937 deaths respectively.