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9
COMMENTS ON VITAL STATISTICS.
Number of Births and Birth Rate.
The Annual Report for 194(5 stated that the number of births for that year was
the highest attained since 1931, and the birth rate the highest since 1921. In 1947
both the number of births (live) 5,577 and the birth rate, 23.55, have exceeded even
those of the previous year. It is satisfactory to record, however, that the still birth
rate, i.e., number of still births per 1,000 total births, was at 18.99 substantially lower
than the corresponding figure of 22.20 for the previous year.
Illegitimate Births.
7.76 per cent, of the 1947 births were registered as illegitimate. This continues
the post-war downward trend.
Deaths and the Principal Causes at each Age.
The 1947 death rate was fractionally lower—12.89—as compared with the
previous year of 12.97. This is not unsatisfactory in view of the very slightly higher
figure for the County of London and England and Wales. It will be noted that in
the classification of deaths Table the percentages of deaths in the different age groups
have been given.
Infants under 1 year.—The dramatic decrease in the infant deaths during the
past few years has continued unabated. 1947 has produced yet another low record
with an infant mortality rate of only 32 per 1,000 live births. This is substantially
lower than the figure for the County of London and considerably lower than the figure
for England and Wales. In view of the housing situation in Islington with
considerable overcrowding and much disrepair, it is a remarkable tribute to the
individual care and the better knowledge and management which has enabled so
many more mothers to rear healthy infants, even as compared with the immediate
pre-war years.
An extremely satisfactory and startling reduction is in the infant mortality
rate for illegitimate infants, which was only 39 as against last year's figure of 68.
This is, of course, by far the lowest infant mortality rate for illegitimate infants ever
recorded in the Borough, and where it has been necessary to emphasise in the past
the adverse circumstances in which an illegitimate child may be born and brought up,
it would appear that greater attention to this problem in its various aspects, including
the care of the mother in pregnancy, has greatly improved the chances of child
survival.
Of 179 infant deaths under one year, 103, or 57.5 per cent, took place before
the age of one month. Over three quarters of these neo-natal deaths were associated
with premature birth, congenital malformations and birth injury, and improvement
must lie principally in better ante-natal care and supervision together with medical
enquiry into causes which may arise during pregnancy. From 1 to 12 months,
the greatest group of deaths are now due to bronchitis and pneumonia, and not to
enteritis or diarrhoea as formerly. A reduction must therefore be looked for in the
avoidance of colds, respiratory catarrh generally, and whooping cough and measles
in the young infant .
Deaths from Puerperal Causes.—There were only 4 deaths in 1947, giving a rate
of 0.70 per 1,000 births. With the exception of 1945 this is the lowest rate on record
in Islington, but as every maternal death must be regarded as potentially avoidable,
there is till a lower target to be achieved.