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11
POPULATION
The natural increase in population, i.e. excess of "births
over deaths was 551. The estimate of the Registrar General for
the population at mid-1959 was 96,810, giving an increase over the
previous year of 330. The last time the Registrar General estimated
an increase in population was 1954.
BIRTHS
The number of births was 1,602, being 108 more than in
1958. The birth rate for each of the last four years has shown an
increase and the rate for 1959 (l6.5) is the highest since the post
war "bulge" in 1947 (l8.l). The Registrar General gives an area
comparability factor which takes into account the proportion of
women of child bearing age and allows of comparison with other areas.
The adjusted birth rate for Hampstead is 12.4.
Of the births 824 were males and 778 females. The
number of illegitimate births, 171, expressed as a percentage of the
total number of births was slightly lower than in 1958.
DEATHS
There were 1,051 deaths of Hampstead residents during
1959 giving a death rate of 10.9 per thousand of the population.
This is slightly lower than in the previous year when there were
1,075 deaths and a death rate of 11.1.
There are no marked differences in the proportion of
deaths from different causes when compared with recent years.
Respiratory tuberculosis was responsible for seven deaths
as compared with nine in 1958 and an average of eight during the
previous five years. There has been a trend in recent years for
deaths from this disease to decrease although the number of persons
on the tuberculosis register notified as suffering from tuberculosis
is increasing.
Deaths from cancer of the lung numbered 38. In 1958 the
number was 51 and the average for the five years 1954-58 was 45.
The smaller number of deaths during 1959 cannot unfortunately be
taken as an indication that there is likely to be any decrease in
the cases of this disease at present.
Influenza was responsible for 19 deaths, many of them in
elderly people.