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13
Maternal mortality—
Table (xi)—Maternal mortality, 1952-61
Year
Live births
and
stillbirths
Deaths in
pregnancy or
childbirth
excluding
abortion
Postabortion
deaths
Total maternal deaths
No.
Rate
per 1,000
total births
1952
52,433
35
15
50
0.95
1953
52,080
21
16
37
0.71
1954
51,774
28
6
34
0.66
1955
50,860
31
8
39
0.77
1956
53,241
16
11
27
0.51
1957
53,816
15
13
28
0.52
1958
55,254
14
19
33
0.60
1959
56,276
22
12
34
0.60
1960
58,420
15
11
26
0.45
1961*
61,155
27
18
45
0.74
* For the sixth year running none of the deaths in pregnancy or childbirth was due to sepsis; 14 of the 18
post-abortion deaths came under the category of'abortion with sepsis
Summary tables—Tables summarising the more important of these vital statistics (a) by
metropolitan boroughs and (b) showing the secular trend for the county are to be found on
pages 17 and 18.
Air pollution
There were no particular foggy incidents in 1961. The table below shows for the past
eight winters the average levels of pollution based on the seven recording stations
described in appendix B to my report for 1956.
Winter averages of air pollution
Average daily readings of seven volumetric recording stations
Winter
' Smoke'
' Sulphur
dioxide'
Ratio
smoke ISO t
(a)
(c)
ib)
(c)
(a:b)
(c.c)
1954-1955
49
11.1
4.4
1955-1956
52
11.8
4.4
1956-1957
45
10.2
4.4
1957-1958
41
11.5
3.6
1958-1959
43
309
11.9
340
3.6
0.9
1959-1960
32
206
9.6
275
3.3
0.7
1960-1961
24
200
9.7
277
2.5
0.7
1961-1962
182
302
0.6
(a) Milligrams of black suspended matter per 100 cubic metres of air.
(b) Acidic gases in parts per 100 million parts of air.
(c) Micrograms per cubic metre.
From 1 October, 1961 the estimation of smoke and sulphur dioxide was changed to a
common unit, micrograms per cubic metre, to accord with the new system introduced by
the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. In order to provide a link with the
figures quoted in previous reports the pollution data has been recalculated on the revised
basis for the three preceding years and both sets of figures are shown.