FIFTY-FIFTH REPORT OF BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS IN THE COMMONWEALTH; RETURNS OF LIBELS FOR DIVORCE, AND RETURNS OF DEATHS INVESTIGATED BY THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS, FOR THE YEAR 1896. PREPARED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH. EDITED BY FRANCIS A. HARRIS, M. D. BOSTON: WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, 18 POST OFFICE SQUARE. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To the Honorable Senate OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, BOSTON, Oct. 28, 1897. and the House of Representatives. I have the honor to submit herewith, as required by law, the Fifty-fifth Annual Registration Report, relating to the births, marriages and deaths occurring in Massachusetts and registered in the several cities and towns during the year ending Dec. 31, 1896; and containing, also, the reports relating to libels for divorce in the several counties, and the returns of deaths the causes and manner of which have been investigated by the medical examiners during the year 1896. The rule adopted in the report of 1891 of restricting the exhibition of tabular results to such as are plainly of practical utility within the meaning of the statute by authority of which the tables are prepared, is continued, and the report is again edited by FRANCIS A. HARRIS, M.D. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, WM. M. OLIN, Secretary of the Commonwealth. CONTENTS. Page Population State Census of 1895. — Births, Mar- riages, and Deaths registered in each county and town in 1896, distin- guishing sex and parentage of Births, nativity of the Married, and sex, nativity and average age of Decedents, BIRTHS registered in 1896, by counties, by months, and by sex, A. - Supplement. - Plurality Births registered in 1896, by counties and IV. MARRIAGES registered in 1896, by counties and by months, V. - MARRIAGES registered in 1896, by counties and by age periods, MARRIAGES registered in 1896, by ages and conjugal condition, VII. DEATHS registered in 1896, by counties, by months, and by sex, VIII. DEATHS, exhibiting the age and sex of Deaths registered in each county and in the State in 1896, also population of 1895, and Percentages of IX.-CAUSES OF DEATH, 1896, nosologically arranged, by months, by age, and |