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The crude live birth rate for 1965 was 16.4 per 1,000 total population which when adjusted
by an area comparability factor of 0.72 gave a comparative rate of 11.8 (E. & W. 18.1). Illegitimate
live births formed 15.6per cent, of the total live births, about twice the rate for England and Wales.
The stillbirth rate was 16.4 per 1,000 total live and still births, compared with 15.5 for
England and Wales.

Total infant deaths (77) represent a rate of 19.4 per 1,000 total live births; there were
16.7 legitimate infant deaths per 1,000 legitimate live births and 34.9 illegitimate infant deaths
per 1,000 illegitimate live births.
The neo-natal mortality rate (deaths under 4 weeks) was 13.6 per 1,000 total live births,
while deaths under 1 week gave an early neo-natal mortality rate of 11.4 per l,000total livebirths.
Stillbirths and deaths under one week expressed as a rate per 1,000 total live and stillbirths
gave a perinatal mortality rate of 27.6.
MATERNAL MORTALITY
Only one maternal death occured, a rate of 0.2 per 1,000 total births.
CAUSES OF DEATH
Deaths by age, cause and sex are shown in Table 2; total deaths were 2,460 giving a
crude death rate of 10.2 per 1,000 population, which when adjusted by an area comparability factor
of 1.11 gave a standardised rate of 11.3, a little below the provisional rate of 11.5 for England and
Wales.
Deaths are shown by cause in Table 3. for the years 1947 to 1965. As in previous years,
the leading cause of death in 1965 was disease of the heart, but at a higher level than in 1964, - 771
(678) deaths.
Cancer caused 608 deaths, the highest figure since 1960; of this total 180 were due to
cancer of the lung and bronchus, the highest figure so far recorded.
Other leading causes were in order, bronchitis and pneumonia - 279, vascular lesions of
the central nervous system - 233 and other circulatory disease - 117.
CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
The control of infectious disease remains a major duty of the Health Department. Although
endemic smallpox has been eradicated from this country and diphtheria and poliomyelitis made
rarities by vaccination and immunisation, the occurrence of a case might cause an outbreak were
the disease not recognised and steps taken at once to control its spread.
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