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It will be seen that February and March were the months of greatest respiratory
risk. More respiratory deaths occurred than in the previous year and the increase was
mostly due to an additional number of deaths with pneumonia as the certified cause
Although the majority were, as usual, very elderly persons, i.e. over 75, it will be
seen also there were rather more deaths in the 55-64 age group in February and March
than in the 65-74 age group, and this disproportion did not take place in other months
Deaths of infants under one year
The infant mortality of 19.4 for 1963 is just fractionally higher than that for
the previous year which was the lowest recorded, 50% of all infant deaths occurred
within the first 24 hours following birth From one to twelve months the greatest
risk to infants was due to respiratory disease, particularly pneumonia. Of a total of
27 infant deaths in the age group one to twelve months, ten were due to pneumonia
Maternal Mortality
It is a very considerable tribute to the hospitals, the Local Health Authority
and the family practitioners that in a total of 5,816 live and still births, there
was only one maternal death. This was a fatal issue following instrumental
interference and was therefore undoubtedly avoidable.
Respiratory Tuberculosis
The downward trend of deaths from lung tuberculosis, which was interrupted in
1961 and fortunately resumed in 1962, when the rate dropped from 0.10 per thousand
population to 0.06, again fell in 1963 to 0.04 - the lowest recorded The decreased
risk of mortality was not, however, combined with a similar fall in the number of
cases, commented upon elsewhere in the report, and demonstrates that there is no
reason for complacency yet with regard to tuberculosis of the lungs in an area such
as Islington.