26 



higher rates of mortality among the females between 10 and 

 20 years, viz., 0'41 and 1'27 per 1,000, as compared with 016 

 and 0"77 among the males for the same period. In fact, this 

 table confirms most strongly the proposition that consumption 

 is chiefly a disease of maturity, and hence increases as develop- 

 ment progresses, augments greatly on the accession of puberty, 

 and rises almost to its maximum as soon as full physical 

 development is attained. But it is noticeable that although 

 from the table of absolute deaths we might have deduced the 

 proposition that it is more a disease of the prime of life than 

 of the degeneration period, here we should have been wrong, 

 since this table of the relative deathrate shows that the falling 

 off after the age of 40 is almost though not quite accounted for 

 by the smaller population at this advanced period, and that 

 consequently the decline of life enjoys in only an insignificant 

 degree any exemption from this disease. 



If now we consult a series of tables giving the deaths at 

 different ages from all diseases, and the ratio which the deaths 

 from phthisis bear to those, we find that consumption is 

 especially a disease of maturity, and in this respect is unlike 

 disease in general. If it were like other affections in reference 

 to the time of life at which its attacks occur, then the ratio of 

 its deaths to those from all complaints ought to be the same 

 for each period of life. But it is far otherwise ; for whereas 

 between the ages of five and 10 only 16 die of consumption 

 out of every 1,000 deaths, between 10 and 15 years 38 die, or 

 twice as many ; while between 15 and 20 years 232 out of every 

 1,000 deaths are due to that cause, or six times as many as are 

 accounted for during the previous quinquennium. But the 



Population. 



of South Australia as 



per Census 



of 1876 





Under 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



Undei 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



5 years 



15,762 



18,852 



34,614 



50 years 4,709 



3,779 



8,488 



10 " 



15,552 



15,232 



30,784 



55 ' 



3,689 



3,051 



6,740 



' 15 " 



13,819 



13,696 



27,515 



60 ' 



2,873 



2,227 



5,100 



20 " 



11,691 



11,784 



23,475 



65 ' 



1,995 



1,755 



3,750 



25 " 



9,865 



9,183 



19,048 



70 ' 



1,307 



1,044 



2,351 



30 " 



8,250 



6,980 



15,230 



75 ' 



754 



620 



1,374 



35 " 



7,555 



6,320 



13,875 



80 ' 



360 



333 



693 



40 " 



6,537 



5,603 



12,140 



85 < 



182 



174 



356 



45 " 



5,510 



5,101 



10,611 











Eatio 



of Annual Aveeage Deat 



HS PEE 



Thousand of Population. 



Under 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



Under 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



5 years 



•34 



•19 



•26 



45 yi 



ars 1-7 



1-37 



1-546 



10 " 



•09 



•078 



•084 



50 ' 



1-74 



•84 



1-342 



15 " 



•16 



•41 



•284 



55 ' 



' 2-01 



•91 



1-521 



20 " 



•77 



1-28 



1-022 



60 ' 



1-81 



1-17 



1-528 



25 " 



1-19 



1-5 



1-344 



65 ' 



1-90 



•34 



1-174 



30 " 



1-45 



1-77 



1-602 



70 ' 



•76 



•76 



•764 



35 " 



1-64 



1-80 



1-714 



75 ' 



•53 



•32 



•436 



40 " 



2-11 



1-71 



1-926 











