London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The following table gives the adjusted Kensington birth and death rates compared with the provisional rates for London and for England and Wales for the year 1960:-
| Kensington adjusted | London | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of births per 1,000 population | 13.2 | 17.8 | 17.1 |
| No. of deaths per 1,000 population | 9.91 | 11.4 | 11.5 |
Infant Death Rate,. This rate for 1960 was 20.8, a decrease compared with the rate for the previous year of 4.0. The provisional rate for the County of London was 21.6 and for England and Wales was 21.7. The following table shows the rates for the last five years:-
| Year | Kensington | London | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 20.8 | 21.6 | 21.7 |
| 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 |
It will be seen that the infant death rate for Kensington
showed a decrease 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 | No. of deaths due to prematurity | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 or under | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||
| 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 |
| 1960 | 27 | 4 | - | 4 | - | 2 | 37 | 22 |
1960 1959
Neo-natal mortality rate
(i.e. deaths of infants under
4 weeks per 1,000 total
live births) 18.52 19.49
Early neo-natal mortality rate
(i.e. deaths of infants under
one week per 1,000 total
live births) 12.02 17.18
Perinatal mortality rate
(i.e. stillbirths and deaths
of infants under one
week per 1,000 total
live and still births) 25.95 34.73
Maternal Death Rate. Four deaths of mothers due to childbirth
were recorded in 1960, giving a maternal death rate peril,000
live and still births of 1.28. (The provisional maternal mortality
rate for the County of London was 0.45 and for England and Wales the