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appropriate factor, and when so adjusted the results are comparable with
the crude rates for England and Wales or with the corresponding adjusted
rates for any other area.
The following table gives the adjusted Kensington birth and
death rates compared with the rates for London and for England and Wales
for the year 1959:-
Kensington
adjusted
London
England and
Wales
No. of births per 1,000 population 13.0
17.3
16.5
No. of deaths per 1,000 population 10.0
11.9
11.6
Infant Death Rate. This rate for 1959 was 24.8, an increase above
the rate for the previous year of 2.1. The rate for the County of London
was 22.3 and for England and Wales was 22.0. The following table shows the
rates for the last five years:-
Year
Kensington
London
England & Wales
1959
24.8
22.3
22.0
1958
22.7
22.6
22.5
1957
28.2
22.0
23.1
1956
21.1
21.0
23.8
1955
31.4
23.3
24.9
It will be seen that the infant death rate for Kensington showed
a slight increase compared with last year's rate. Variations in the infant
mortality rate are often caused by perinatal mortality, i.e. deaths in the
first week of life, prematurity (see table below) and the statistical
difficulties arising from the small numbers involved. Just over two deaths
suffice to increase the rate by one.
Number of deaths of babies under one week of age
Year
Age in days at death
Total
Total deaths
due to
prematurity
1 or under
2
5
4
5
6
1955 41 5 3 1 2 1 51 32
1956 24 4 4 2 4 - 38 21
1957 37 5 7 2 1 - 52 35
1958 37 5 3 2 2 1 50 29
1959 34 3 5 4 3 3 52 38
Maternal Death Rate. One death of a mother due to childbirth
was recorded in 1959, giving a maternal death rate per 1,000 live and
still births of 0.32. (The maternal mortality rate for the County of
London was 0.52 and for England and Wales the figure was 0.38).
Infectious Diseases. There was no serious outbreak of infectious
disease in the borough during 1959. The total number of notifications
received was 1,489 in comparison with 1,400 in the previous year.
No case of diphtheria was notified in 1959. This is the third
consecutive year giving a nil return; one case being notified in 1956. Only
six cases of diphtheria have been notified in Kensington in the last ten years,
in five of which there was a 'nil' return.
Tuberculosis. The death rate from all forms of tuberculosis
per 100,000 population was 6.0 which is the lowest ever recorded in the
borough. The 1959 Kensington death rate compares with the rate (provisional)
of 8.5 for England and Wales.
Lung Disease. Kensington's death rate from pulmonary tuberculosis
per 100,000 population decreased in 1959 compared with the previous year
and the death rate for cancer of the lung also showed a decrease. Comparative