14 



support strongly the general impression afloat that South 

 Australia is a very favourable place for those who are predis- 

 posed to this disease, and negative such assertions as that 

 phthisis " is very common and malignant in the South Sea 

 Islands, Australia, and New Zealand,"* at least when the com- 

 parison is with its prevalence and fatality in England. 



Is South Australia thus comparatively free from consump- 

 tion alone, or is there the same proportional freedom from 

 disease as a whole ? It is of course conceivable that there 

 might be certain conditions antagonistic to disease generally, 

 and not to phthisis specially. If this were the case, then on 

 comparing the deaths from consumption here with those from 

 all diseases, the ratio would be the same as that of the phthisis 

 mortality to the total mortality of England. If, on the other 

 hand, there were in South Australia a special immunity from 

 this affection, then the ratio here should be less than that at 

 home. And so it is. During the seven years 1871-77, the ratio 

 of the deaths from consumption to those from all diseases was 

 5"764 per cent., while the English returns show the proportion 

 of 10'2 per cent. Hence, we conclude that in South Australia 

 there is a special immunity from phthisis as compared with all 

 other disease ; that there are certain conditions which exert an 

 influence twice as favourable to life in the case of consumption 

 as in other disease ; that South Australia is a residence 

 specially for those of consumptive tendencies. 



Perhaps the most important inquiry that arises among the 

 many regarding our mortality from consumption is this — Is 

 the deathrate rising or falling in South Australia? Is the 

 above shown favourable state of affairs merely temporary, or 

 have we ground for hoping that our mortality may remain 

 permanently low, or even be reduced ? This question becomes 

 more interesting from the fact that may be observed in the 



1871 



. 157 . 



. 2,378 . 



. 1 in 15 



1872 



. 146 . 



. 2,896 . 



. " 19-8 



1873 



. 153 . 



. 2,631 , 



. " 17-19 



1874 



. 179 . 



. 3,406 . 



. " 19 



1875 



. 208 . 



. 4,136 . 



. " 19-8 



1876 



. 226 . 



. 3,550 . 



. " 15-7 



1877 



. 203 . 



. 3,225 . 



. " 15-9 



1,272 22,222 " 17*35 



This table gives for seven years the number of deaths from phthisis of 

 both sexes and all ages, tbe number of deaths from all diseases, and the 

 ratio which those bear to these. The result is 1 in 17*35, or 5*764 per cent. 

 The English returns for 1876 show that 49,795 persons died of consumption 

 and 510,315 from all diseases; so that 10-2 per cent, were accounted for by 

 this complaint. 



* Hirsch, cited in Waters's " Diseases of the Chest," page 223. 



