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As already noted, the infant mortality rate for Southgate has
fallen, is, indeed, one of the lowest yet recorded in the Borough.
It is also worth noting that six of the eleven infant deaths recorded
during 1956 occurred during the first four weeks of life (neo natal
mortality). These deaths are, more often than not, non-preventable.
We do not accept of course that infant deaths occurring during the
first weeks of life need be taken for granted. Much work is going
on in this field, work which one hopes will eventually result in
reducing the neo-natal mortality to the same extent as has been
possible with infant mortality as a whole.
In this connection, the Council might like to know that I have
already approached local hospitals, general practitioners and midwives
in the hope that they may be able to persuade mothers of
infants who have died to allow a post-mortem examination to be
carried out in all cases. It is hoped that valuable information may
be obtained in this way, information which can be put to great
practical use in saving infants in the future.
Still-Births.
Eleven still-births, all legitimate, were accredited to the Borough
for 1956. This is equal to a death rate of 13.44 (live and stillbirths),
the corresponding figures for 1955 being 15 still-births
with a rate of 18.83.
The rate per 1,000 of the population was 0.15, the rate for
England and Wales being 23.
Maternal Mortality.
No maternal deaths were reported during 1956. As noted in
the introduction to this Report, only one maternal death has been
recorded in Southgate since 1949, during which time 6,569 births
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