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15
There were 9 fewer female deaths from all causes in the
age group 25-45, 8 fewer between 45 and 65, and 21 fewer between
65 and 75. There were, however, 17 more deaths in the age group
over 75. This shift to the higher age group fits in with the
general pattern of living longer, but with such small figures as
these it is impossible to draw any firm conclusions. It was most
noticeable in deaths of females from all forms of cancer which
were 7 less in the age group 25-45, but 6 more in the age group
45-65; heart and circulatory disease which were 9 fewer in the
age group 45-65 and 16 fewer in the age group 65-75 but were 14
more in the years over 75. Respiratory disease, mainly influenza
and pneumonia, was also responsible for 13 more female deaths
over 75 years of age.
The total deaths, males and females, from all forms of
cancer showed an increase of 14 while the total deaths from heart
and circulatory diseases decreased by 35. Deaths from influenza,
pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. were 26 higher than in 1956.
The only death from a notifiable infectious disease
(other than tuberculosis) was of a boy aged 4 who died from
measles. Deaths from tuberculosis were again low, there being
4 from pulmonary tuberculosis and 1 from non-pulmonary tuberculosis.
Although the number of notifications does not fall, modern methods
of treatment have greatly reduced the seriousness of this disease.
There were 27 deaths of babies under 1 year, a drop of
7 from last year's rather high figure. The infantile mortality
rate was 18.1. Of the 27 infant deaths, 23 occurred under 4 weeks
of age. There was 1 death from pregnancy or childbirth.
Ten deaths, 8 of which were of males, resulted from
motor vehicle accidents. This figure is rather high but the
figure for all other accidents was a low one, 11, making the total
figure for accidents 21, which is slightly below the average.
Hampstead maintained its good record in that no child under 15
years of age died as the result of an accident, but 13 of the total
of 21 deaths were of persons over 65 years of age and a great deal
of work needs to be done to reduce the accident rate among the
elderly.
For some years now, attention has been focussed on
the number of deaths from suicide in Hampstead and this year's
figure, 23, shows no decline from the recent average. Thirteen
males and 10 females committed suicide, of whom 5 males and 5
females were below the age of 45.