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VIOLENCE.
Deaths from violence (including suicide) showed an appreciable
increase during 1947, the death rate being 0.56 per thousand of population,
compared with 0.24 last year and an average of 0.39 for the interwar
years. The chief cause of this increase was the unfortunate train
accident in October, which resulted in the deaths of 14 local residents.
There was an increase also in deaths following falls in the more or
less elderly (8), which again reflects the increasing age of the population.
Deaths on the road were again less than in pre-war years, being
three compared with five last year. All resulted from motor car accidents,
and in two instances the persons killed were pedestrians.
The suicide death rate was slightly less than in 1946 and well below
the average for the years before or during the war.
TUBERCULOSIS AND PNEUMONIA.
Deaths from tuberculosis and pneumonia are referred to in later
sections of this report.
MATERNAL MORTALITY.
There were 2 deaths associated with childbirth during 1947,
compared with 3, nil, 2, 1 and 1 in the preceding five years.
One death really resulted from pre-existing heart and kidney disease
which was accelerated by pregnancy.
In the other case of a very elderly lady, whose death followed
operative treatment to rectify the result of childbirth which had occurred
at least 40 years previously, it was most unfortunate that this had to
be classified as a maternal death.
As a result the local Maternal Mortality Rate was 1.83 per 1,000 live
and stillbirths compared with 1.17 for England and Wales, which was
the lowest yet recorded.
INFANT MORTALITY.
During 1947 there were 24 deaths among the children under one
year of age, as compared with 27, 25, 28, 32 and 38 in the preceding
five years. None of the deaths was in respect of illegitimate children.
The resultant Infant Mortality Rate was thus only 23 per 1,000
registered births, which is one of the lowest recorded for the District,
the only years which had lower rates being 1921 '(17) and 1933 (20).
The Infant Mortality Rate for England and Wales was 41 in 1947,
this being the lowest on record.
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