15 



English returns. These make it evident that for the last 

 five-and-twenty years the deathrate from consumption has 

 steadily decreased during every quinquennium from 28112 for 

 1850-54 to 2-2828 for 1870-74. By some means, either 

 municipal hygienic measures, or personal, direct medical treat- 

 ment, or otherwise, fewer persons, proportionally to the 

 population, are dying of phthisis than formerly in England. 



In England, the deaths were per 1,000 from phthisis — 

 2-8112 for 1850-54, 2-6476 for 1855-59, 2-5664 for 1860-64, 

 2-5278 for 1865-69, 2-2828 for 1870-74. 



What is the state of affairs amongst us ? Had the statistics 

 been investigated at the end of 1876, one would have been 

 inclined — would have been forced — to admit the very disagree- 

 able fact that the rate was rising so rapidly as to be quite 

 alarming, and so steadily as to furnish ground for fear that 

 at no very distant date it would even reach that of the 

 countries at the antipodes. Not only have the deaths been 

 increasing yearly with the increase of population, but out of 

 proportion to it ; so that the mortality from 1873 to 1876 has 

 risen from -77, through "87, "99 to 1-00 per 1,000. 



However, in 1877, although the population had increased 

 by 12,000 souls, the deaths from phthisis had absolutely 

 diminished, and were even fewer than in 1875, when the 

 population was less by more than 24,000 persons. The ratio 

 for the year was thus reduced again to that of 1874. This 

 circumstance might have encouraged us to hope that the 

 steadily-increasing mortality of the previous four years was 

 but temporary, and did not indicate a rapid and continuous 

 progress of this scourge of humanity. But I find from the 

 monthly returns of 1878 that during that year there were 267 

 deaths from this complaint, while the population at the end of 

 December, as nearly as I can calculate it from the monthly 

 means, was about 250,000, which gives a deathrate for the year 

 of about 1-067. This is higher than that of 1876, when it stood 

 at 10067 ; higher, in fact, than in any other year of which I 

 have returns. So that it would seem that the fall in 1877 was 

 an exceptional circumstance, and that the hope excited by the 

 low mortality of that year is completely dispelled by the 

 returns for this ; and we must, however we may account for it, 

 reconcile ourselves to the uncomfortable fact that our 

 mortality is increasing, and that it has increased to nearly half 

 as much again as it was six years ago. This is brought into 

 bolder relief by contrasting our rising deathrate with the 

 falling mortality of England. How is this growing fatality 

 to be explained? Surely our climate cannot be changing to 

 such a degree as to account for the rise ? Are South 

 Australians degenerating to this extent ? Are we importing a 



