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# Long description

The figure is a line graph in which the horizontal axis is labelled age and is marked in years from zero to 80 at intervals of 20 years. The vertical axis is labelled death rate per 100 000 population and is marked from zero to 3000 at intervals of 500 units. The 1917 plots for both males and females are almost identical U-shaped curves, and show that death rates were in excess of 1500 in newborns, dropped to 200 by age 2 and were zero in 10-year-olds. Rates remained below 200 for those aged 40 or under, increased to 500 in 65-year-olds, and beyond this age, death rate increased very rapidly to reach levels of 3000 per 100 000 for 80-year-olds. The pattern in death rates in 1918 for the younger and older age groups was similar to that in 1917, although rates in newborns were much higher, at 2500. The minimum rate in 1918, again observed in 10-year-olds, was 200. Beyond this age, death rates rose sharply, to 1200 for 30-year-old males and 750 for 30-year-old females. Death rates in both groups fell rapidly, and for those aged 60 or more, were similar to the rates in the previous year.