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Greater London and 10.61 for England and Wales. The comparable
figure for Inner London was 11.9.
Perinatal Mortality—The Perinatal Mortality Rate, calculated
from a total of 34 stillbirths and 41 deaths of infants under 1 week,
was 23.41 per 1,000 total births, showing a decrease of 5.20 from
that for 1969. The equivalent rate for England and Wales is 23.5
and that for Greater London 22.6. Inner London recorded a rate
of 23.9.
Reproductive Wastage—A sum total of 106 stillbirths and
infantile deaths gives a Reproductive Wastage Rate of 33.09 per
1,000 total births, a decrease of 1.55 from that calculated for the
previous year. Figures for England and Wales and Greater London
are 30.96 and 29.58 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 categories 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.