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5
of the age and sex composition of a particular area to that of England
and wales as a whole so that a statistical basis can be established.
To obtain the adjusted death rate, the crude death rate is multiplied by
the "Area Comparability Factor", and as 0.94 represents the factor so far
as Chelsea is concerned, the adjustment results in a death rate of 12.1.
It is pleasing to record that no deaths have occurred as a
result of accidents or diseases associated with pregnancy or childbirth
since 1946. During the period 194-0 - 1946, eleven deaths were
attributed to such causes.
Infant Mortality. The number of deaths occurring amongst
infants under one year of age continues to decline, and during the year
under review sixteen deaths, representing a mortality rate of 20.3 were
registered. A striking feature of the remarkable reduction in the
wastage of infant life is presented by consideration of the following
brief summarys-
Year Deaths under 1 No. of births Rate per 1.000
year of age. registered. registered births
1900 333 2,245 148
1910 141 1,376 102
. 1920 73 1,392 52
1930 32 799 40
1940 15 428 40
1950 21 829 25
1951 19 819 23
1952 16 787 20
It will be apparent that since 1940 there has been a tendency
for the dramatic improvement of the early decades of the century to
decline. The rate, however, must be viewed in association with the actua]
number of deaths and births registered. Clearly a great proportionate
reduction in the number of deaths has occurred compared with the decline
in births.
Infectious Diseases. The number of notifications received
during the year was 785, a decrease of 266 compared with 1,031 in 1951®
As was the case in the latter year, Measles played a significant part,
355 cases coming to the knowledge of the Public Health Department,
representing 45 per cent of the total notifications. As a general rule,
eighty or ninety per cent of all persons attaining to the age of twenty
years have had Measles, and of the 1,342 notifications received during the
past three years, 97 per cent were in respect of children aged between 0
and 15 years. The figures for the past seven years conform to the
well-known biennial periodicity of measles, which also shows a fairly
constant phasic pattern within each two-year cycle.
Food Poisoning. Ten notifications were received during the
year. In 1951 and 1950 the figures were 13 and 122 respectively.