M 158
(c) Enteritis.
Enteritis occupied third place in the list of fatal affections in 1939. Deaths in children under one year of age number 2,383, an increase of 328 over the corresponding figure for 1938. Some 2,371 deaths from enteritis were registered among persons over one year of age, 570 more than in 1938. The total for all ages amounted to 4,754 and 3,856 in 1939 and 1938 respectively. That some of the deaths attributed to enteritis were due to infection with V. cholerae cannot be entirely excluded. There are grounds for belief that a proportion of deaths certified as being due to enteritis might equally appropriately be recorded as being due to one of the various forms of malnutrition or faulty nutrition.
(d) Infectious diseases other than tuberculosis.
Cholera accounted for 448 deaths (eighty-five more than in 1938), cerebro-spinal-meningitis caused 214 deaths (nine less than in 1938) and 153 deaths were registered from smallpox (1,784 less than in 1938).
Other infectious diseases in order of importance in the mortality returns included the following; the figures in brackets are those for 1938:
Measles 507 (155), dysentery 445 (340), typhoid fever 385 (187), influenza 335 (557), syphilis 226 (314), tetanus 157 (76) of which 147 were cases of tetanus neonatorum, diphtheria 142 (147), leprosy 20 (23), whooping cough 5 (5), encephalitis lethargica 1 (2) and erysipelas 1 (2).
(e) Beri-beri.
Fifth in importance on the list of causes of deaths in 1939 came beri-beri with a total of 3,189 deaths as compared with 2,673 in the previous year.
This is a sad commentary on the standard of well-being of the community, since beri-beri is essentially a preventable disease.
Four deaths were registered as being due to rickets.
(f) Congenital malformations and diseases of early infancy.
As might be expected with an infant mortality rate of 345 per thousand living births, deaths due to diseases of early infancy and more particularly to congenital debility and premature birth accounted for a high proportion of the mortality from all causes. The number of deaths in this group amounted to 2,955.
(g) Violence and other external causes.
Deaths from violence showed a considerable increase during the year under review, accounting for 728 as compared with 572 in 1938.
Of these 143 were due to drowning, 122 to suicide, ninety-eight to accident and sixteen to military operations (including accidental bombing by Japanese aircraft over British territory close to the Kwantung frontier).
(h) Malignant disease.
The number of deaths from malignant disease, while still being low as compared with European standards, showed a considerable rise in 1939 over the figure for the previous year. Some 442 (269 in 1938) deaths were recorded from this condition, of whom 250 were in women.
Cancer of the digestive organs is the most common, followed in order by cancer of the uterus, the buccal cavity and pharynx (the naso-pharynx is involved in an unusually high proportion of cases) and of the breast.
M 158
(c) Enteritis.
Enteritis occupied third place in the list of fatal affections in 1939. Deaths in children under one year of age number 2,383, an increase of 328 over the corresponding figure for 1938. Some 2,371 deaths from enteritis were registered among persons over one year of age, 570 more than in 1938. The total for all ages amounted to 4,754 and 3,856 in 1939 and 1938 respectively. That some of the deaths attributed to enteritis were due to infection with V. cholerae cannot be entirely excluded. There are grounds for belief that a proportion of deaths certified as being due to enteritis might equally appropriately be recorded as being due to one of the various forms of malnutrition or faulty nutrition.
(d) Infectious diseases other than tuberculosis.
Cholera accounted for 448 deaths (eighty-five more than in 1938), cerebro- spinal-meningitis caused 214 deaths (nine less than in 1938) and 153 deaths were registered from smallpox (1,784 less than in 1938).
Other infectious diseases in order of importance in the mortality returns included the following the figures in brackets are those for 1938-
Measles 507 (155), dysentery 445 (340), typhoid fever 385 (187), influenza 335 (557), syphilis 226 (314), tetanus 157 (76) of which 147 were cases of tetanus neonatorum, diphtheria 142 (147), leprosy 20 (23), whooping cough 5 (5), encephalitis lethargica 1 (2) and erysipelas 1 (2).
(e) Beri-beri.
Fifth in importance on the list of causes of deaths in 1939 came beri-beri with a total of 3,189 deaths as compared with 2,673 in the previous year.
This is a sad commentary on the standard of well being of the community, since beri-beri is essentially a preventable disease.
Four deaths were registered as being due to rickets.
(f) Congenital malformations and diseases of early infancy.
As might be expected with an infant mortality rate of 345 per thousand living births, deaths due to diseases of early infancy and more particularly to congenital debility and premature birth accounted for a high proportion of the mortality from all causes. The number of deaths in this group amounted to 2,955.
(g) Violence and other external causes.
Deaths from violence showed a considerable increase during the year under review, accounting for 728 as compared with 572 in 1938.
Of these 143 were due to drowning, 122 to suicide, ninety-eight to accident and sixteen to military operatons (including accidental bombing by Japanese aircraft over British territory close to the Kwantung frontier).
(h) Malignant disease.
The number of deaths from malignant disease while still being low as compared with European standards showed a considerable rise in 1939 over the figure for the previous year. Some 442 (269 in 1938) deaths were recorded from this condition of whom 250 were in women.
Cancer of the digestive organs is the most common followed in order by cancer of the uterus, the buccal cavity and pharynx (the naso-pharynx is involved in an unusually high proportion of cases) and of the breast.
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