View report page

tendency of the birth rate to fall which has been noticed
during the past 40 years. The local birth rate was lower
than the birth rate for England and Wales as a whole,
which was 16.7 per thousand.
The death rate at 8.15 per thousand of the population
must be compared with a rate of 7.53 per thousand
in 1948. For the first time for a number of years, the
Registrar General has supplied us with a comparability
factor which enables us to adjust the local death rate to
make it comparable with that of other parts of the country
and the adjusted death rate is 9.7 per thousand
compared with an adjusted death rate of 11.7 for
England and Wales.
The infant mortality rate was 24 per thousand live
births during 1949 compared with a record low rate of
19.03 per thousand during 1948; the rate compares well,
however, with that for England and Wales which was
32 per thousand live births during 1949, a new low rate
for the country as a whole. Once again, there were no
deaths from infantile diarrhoea which indicates that
there has, in recent years, been a great improvement in
hygiene in the home and, for this, credit is in large
measure due to the educational work of Health Visitors
and others in the clinics and in the homes of the children.
The maternal mortality rate was 0.78 per thousand
total births (live births and still births) and although
this is an increase on a rate of nil for 1948, it may still
be regarded as satisfactory. The still birth rate increased
from 21.5 in 1948 to 31.0l in 1949.
There were no deaths from diphtheria, measles or
scarlet fever and this is now becoming a regular feature
of our health statistics. There was, in fact, only one
case of diphtheria notified during the year. When one
recalls that not so many years ago large numbers of
children died from these diseases, there is reason for
satisfaction in the present state of affairs.
During 1949, 131 new cases of tuberculosis were
notified as compared with 92 in 1948. It is not certain
whether this increase is due to a higher infection rate
or to better means of ascertainment, including mass
radiography, but it can be stated quite definitely that
tuberculosis is not decreasing, if indeed it is not actually
on the up-grade. The death rate from this disease during
1949. was much the same as that for 1948, namely, 0.44
per thousand of the population.
5