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13
Deaths of infants under one year
The infant mortality is, at 22 per thousand live births fractionally lower than in
1958 when the rate was 23 per thousand 36 per cent of all infant deaths occurred within
the first 24 hours following birth and 59 per cent within seven days of birth Prom one
to twelve months the greatest risk to infants is due to respiratory disease particularly
pneumonia Of a total of 34 infant deaths in the age group one to twelve months 11 were
due to pneumonia
Respiratory Tuberculosis
The downward trend continued in 1959 The 23 deaths due to this cause during the year
are the lowest on record The mortality return must of course be considered in conjunction
with the incidence of new cases and this aspect gives no cause for excessive complacency
Malignant growths of lung and bronchus
Deaths due to malignant growths of lung and bronchus have continued to increase in 1959
quite contrary to the position with tuberculosis of the lungs The total of 171 deaths in
the year as will be seen from the table following is the highest on record It will also
be noted from the table that the increase is due almost entirely to the increase in male
deaths Comments have been made in this Report every year for the past few years on the
relationship between the increase in malignant disease of the lung and bronchus and prolonged
and heavy smoking of cigarettes The evidence on this relationship has been accepted by the
Ministry of Health for some years although it is still not universally accepted but it can
be said that as time goes on the new evidence which comes to light gives more and more weight
to the officially accepted relationship particularly is this the case with new enquiries
which are being completed abroad It is unfortunate that there is at present no reason to
think that teenagers including those at school have refrained on health grounds from smoking
to any greater extent than previously It therefore seems most likely that the evidence on
smoking and lung cancer will continue to accumulate for many years to come