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from this disease has fluctuated between 20 and 36 but this is to be
expected when such small numbers are involved and it is not indicative
of a decline in the disease. A study of the death returns for Great
Britain over the past nine years shows that the national aspect is totally
different and an annual average increase of over 1,000 deaths has been
maintained. In March, 1962, the Royal College of Physicians published a
report which assessed the evidence about the relationship of smoking and
health, and it proved beyond all reasonable doubt that smoking, particularly
cigarettes, was a cause of lung cancer, as well as a cause of bronchitis
and possibly certain heart and other diseases. A summary of local and
national lung cancer deaths is included in this Report.
I am very pleased to be able to /report that for the eighth successive
year there were no maternal deaths or deaths from causes associated with
childbirth.
Infantile deaths during 1962 were 16, reaching the same level as in
1961, and indicating an infant mortality rate of 25.6 per 1,000 live births
compared with 21.4 for England and Wales. Of the 16 deaths recorded, 7
occurred before the age of one week giving an early neo-natal mortality rate
of 11.2 per 1,000 live births. Still births numbered 11 which, added to
the 7 deaths occurring in the first week of life, gives a perinatal mortality
rate of 28.3 Per 1,000 total live and still births.
In the field of infectious disease the most interesting feature was the
remarkable decline in measles cases, 63 being notified as against 564 during
the previous year, which accounted for the total number of infectious
disease notifications received during 1962 being the lowest on record. Only
151 cases were reported compared with 652 in 1961, a decline of 501 cases.
67 Sonne Dysentery cases were notified, an increase of 28, but 59 of these
cases concerned outbreaks among residents of an Institution in which the rapid
spread of infection is very difficult to control. Only 2 cases of food
poisoning were reported throughout the year and both were connected with an
extensive outbreak which involved several other London boroughs. The cause
of the outbreak was traced to a certain supply of ham which had become infected
with Salmonella Bredeney. During January and February, further cases of
smallpox entered the country from Pakistan, causing outbreaks in some areas,
notably in Bradford and South Wales. Fortunately no case occurred in the
Borough but many contacts, persons from infected areas and travellers from
Pakistan itself, had to be visited and kept under surveillance. This
involved a considerable amount of work for the Inspectors concerned. Supplies
of vaccine were also made available to all General Practitioners in the
Borough and the staff of the Health Department were all vaccinated as a
precaution. Mass vaccination was not offered to the general public as it
was felt that this was unjustifiable and would cause unnecessary panic.
New cases of tuberculosis which are shown separately from other
notifiable.diseases totalled 26, as compared with 21 in the preceding year.
16 of these cases concerned persons aged 25 and under 35, which represents
61.5% of all new cases notified. A detailed review of the incidence and
notification of infectious disease will be found in the final section of
this Report.
Throughout the year 330 samples of food and drugs were examined
and reported upon by the Public Analyst and in 18 cases (5.45%) samples
were reported to be adulterated or inferior. All adulterations were