13 



years 1873-77, 969 deaths have occurred iu the province. 

 Estimating the population at 210,516, the mean for the five 

 years, we obtain an annual deathrate of "920 per 1,000 for both 

 sexes at all ages. 



From the Thirty-ninth Annual Eeport of the Registrar - 

 Greneral of England we learn that the deathrate from consump- 

 tion, during the twenty-five years 1850-71, was 2'5672 per 

 1,000 ; and during the five years 1870-74, 2'2828 per 1,000. 

 So that the mortality there is from 2\ to 2f- times greater than 

 here. This is a result highly favourable to our colony, and 

 proves that there are in South Australia certain circumstances 

 which do not exist in England, or exist in much smaller degree, 

 and which confer upon the people some sort of immunity from 

 this affection. "Whether those circumstances are the healthier 

 constitutions of the earlier settlers and the later immigrants, 

 the absence of overcrowding and poverty, the larger proportion 

 of agriculturists, certain social or moral conditions, or climatic 

 influences, we cannot just now stop to inquire. We simply 

 state the fact that the deathrate in England from phthisis is 

 from 2\ to 2f times higher than here. Our statistics, then, 



1873 198,257 



1874 204,883 



1875 210,699 



1876 .. .: .. ... 224,488 



1877 236,864 



153 



■77 



179 



•87 



208 



•99 



226 



1-00 



203 



•86 



1,075,191 



969 



This table gives the estimated population of South Australia of both sexes 

 6n the 31st of December of each year, the absolute number of deaths from 

 phthisis, and the rate of mortality to 1,000 of living persons. The annual 

 rate, the mean of the five years, is -898. As the population reckoned here is 

 that of the last day in each year, and as this is greater than the mean popu- 

 lation for the year, it is evident that the deathrate from consumption is 

 slightly lower than it should be. To be as accurate as possible strike the 

 mean between the population on the 31st of December for each year and 

 that of the last day of the previous year, and take this as the more approxi- 

 mate population. For 1873, suppose an increase during this year equal to 

 that of 1874, viz., 6,626, and subtract the half of this amount — 3,313 — from 

 198,257, the population of December 31st, 1873. 



1873 .. .'. .. 194,944 



1874 

 1875 

 1876 



1877 



201,578 

 207,791 

 217,598 

 230,676 



. 1,052,579 



• The total population for the five years is thus reduced from 1,075,191 to 

 1,052,579, and the deaths remaining the same, the rate .per 1,000 of Ihe 

 people is raised from "898 to *920. This may be considered as approximate 

 an estimate as can be obtained of the mortality from phthisis in South 

 Australia — *920 per 1,000 for both sexes, at all ages, throughout the province^ 



