50 



47 dmtJis this month, though 7 less than the preceding, is + 8 three- 

 sevenths more than the average for May of the seven previous years. In only 

 one of the seven, May, 1861, were the deaths more numerous, i.e., 50; but 

 more than one-third of those deaths were caused by measles, at that time 

 prevailing epidemically. May, 1859, had the smallest mortality that has ever 

 occurred in any month of a year during the last seven years, i.e., 29. In the 

 following table it will be seen that the bulk of the deaths this month has 

 fallen upon adults, being exactly the reverse of what occurred in the preWous 

 month, and even higher than any of the other three months contrasted with it 



The classes of diseases too, which caused the greatest share of the mortality 

 this month, and those compared with it, is as different as the ages at which 

 death took place : — 



It is thus evident th.a.t zymotic deaths were somewhat below the May average, 

 and indent greatly less than the average ; while constitutional were much above 

 the average, and, in fact, above any year of the seven. Local were, also, con- 

 siderably above the average, and actually more than any year of the seven, 

 except 1858, when this class had 25 deaths. Developmentalis slightly more than 

 the seven years' mean, four of the seven having the same number — 4 — 1860-3, 

 but 1859 and 1862 only two each. Violent was very much less than the average, 

 and only May, 1860, had as small a number. Of the 23 deaths in the zymotic 

 class in the maximum May, ] 7 were from measles, at that time epidemic ; so 

 that with those deducted, the actual number of zymotic deaths would be one 

 less than in the present month. The 7 zymotic deaths this month were re- 

 spectively, — 1 from diphtheria, 1 from typhoid -fever, after scarlatina, 4 from 

 bowel complaints, 1 registered "worm fever." The constitutional class had 

 three times as many deaths as in April ; all were chronic affections of long 

 standing, and all above 33 years old, except two children, aged two and seven 

 months, respectively. The diseases were — cancer 4, mesenteric disease 1, 

 consumption 6 (not one of the number being Tasmanians by birth), water in 

 the brain 1. The local class too had a disproportionately large share of the total 

 mortality, diseases of the brain and neii'ous system caused 10 of the number, 

 i.e : — apoplexy, paralysis and brain disease, all adults from 40 to 82 years of 

 age, having 6 ; the other 4 were convulsions in children from one day to four 

 months old. Diseases of the organs of circulation caused 4 deaths ; recorded 

 diseases of the heart, d-c. Notwithstanding the variable, temperature and windy 

 character of the month, and the general prevalence of catarrhal affections 

 during the last week of the month, diseases of the organs respiration only 

 caused 4 deaths, but all were of an acute inflammatory character. The organs 

 of digestion had only one death; the urinary organs 3, and integumentary 

 system 1. The deaths in the developmental class were 2 infants, and 2 women, 



