24 



In England in 1876 the mean duration of life was among males 

 34 years 8 months, and among females 31 years 1 month ; from 

 which we gather that our men die at almost exactly the same 

 ages as they do there, hut that our women do not live so long 

 by a little over two years. This last-mentioned fact has been 

 already shown to be more than explained by the higher average 

 age of the living population in England, the women of England 

 being full five years older than those of South Australia. Can 

 we in the same way attribute the earlier deaths among the 

 females than among the males out here to the same cause, 

 namely, that the average female age is lower than the average 

 male '? No, not so as to furnish a full explanation ; for 

 whereas the average age of our women in 1876 was 21 years 

 and 11 months, that of our men was only 23 years and 8 

 months, giving a difference of only 1 year and 9 months. But 

 the difference in the age at death from consumption is five 

 years and four months ; therefore women are certainly attacked 

 and destroyed at an earlier period than men. May this be 

 accounted for by their earlier development ? 



Influence of the Eepkoductiye Powee. 



Erom consideration of our statistics we may observe that 

 consumption is, broadly speaking, chiefly a disease of developed 

 mature life, more strictly that it is a disease of the reproductive 

 period of life. 



If we examine a table of the absolute deaths from phthisis 

 during the five years, among both sexes, grouped under the 

 different ages, we find that the mortality in childhood not very 

 great during the first year of life, sinks to its minimum 

 between the ages of three and four. Erom the fourth year 

 upward it rises through each quinquennial period to reach its 

 maximum between 20 and 25 years, and then falls gradually 

 and regularly to the extreme of life. If we combine these 

 periods so as to form groups of 15 years each, there appear 97 

 deaths in the first, 370 in the second, 318 in the third, 147 in 



Deaths from Phthisis during the Five Years 1873-77. 



Jnder 



Males. 



Females. 



Tot 



1 j ear 



12 



8 



20 



2 years 



7 



4 



11 



3 " 



3 



1 



4 



4 " 







1 



1 



5 " 



5 



4 



9 



10 " 



7 



6 



13 



15 " 



11 



28 



39 



20 " 



45 



75 



120 



25 " 



59 



69 



128 



30 



60 



62 



122 



Under 



Males. Fema'es. Total. 



35 years 



62 



57 



119 



40 " 



69 



48 



117 



45 " 



47 



35 



82 



50 " 



41 



16 



57 



55 " 



37 



14 



51 



60 " 



26 



13 



39 



65 " 



19 



3 



22 



70 " 



5 



4 



9 



75 " 



2 



1 



3 



80 







Totals — Males, 517 ; females, 450. 



