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Perinatal Mortality—The Perinatal Mortality Rate, calculated
from a total of 57 stillbirths and 38 deaths of infants under 1 week,
was 28.61 per 1,000 total births, showing an increase of 3.97 over
that for 1968. The equivalent rate for England and Wales is 23.4
and that for Greater London 22.8. Inner London recorded a rate
of 25.0.
Reproductive Wastage—A sum total of 115 stillbirths and
infantile deaths gives a Reproductive Wastage Rate of 34.64 per
1,000 total births, an increase of 4.49 over that calculated for the
previous year. Figures for England and Wales and Greater London
are 31.01 and 30.40 respectively.
REMARKS ON OTHER VARIOUS DEATH CAUSES
For international statistical comparability certain basic requirements
are considered indispensable and these are covered in the
articles of the Nomenclature Regulations, 1967, adopted by the
Twentieth World Health Assembly on 22nd May, 1967.
Following the Nineteenth World Health Assembly in 1966 which,
by resolution, adopted the Eighth Revision and Amendment of
the International Classification of Diseases to come into effect as
from 1st January, 1968, the Registrar-General, from this date, has
brought into use a new classification with regard to records and
statistics. Although these new catagories are broadly equivalent to
the old, inevitably occasional difficulties will be met in reconciling
present with previous statistics and exact comparability cannot be
assumed.
Classification of Deaths—It should be borne in mind that the
statistical data compiled locally relating to cause of death may not
entirely agree with the figures furnished to Local Authorities by the
Registrar-General. Classification of the cause of death is taken
from one or more causes as stated on the medical certificate in
accordance with the rules generally adopted throughout England
and Wales.
The Registrar-General is able, in cases where it is deemed desirable,
to obtain fuller information from the certifying practitioner.
This enables his department to modify the original classification—
hence the possibilities of discrepancies in some cases between the
figures prepared locally and those referred by the RegistrarGeneral.