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5
The Death Rate was 11.6 a figure 0.9 per 1,000 higher than in
1936, but 0.8 per 1,000 lower than the rate for England and Wales,
and 0.7 lower than London's rate. The rising death rate is to be
expected in consequence of the low birth rate for many years past
and the consequent rise in the mean age of the population.
The Infantile Mortality showed a most unwelcome rise, after
the new low record obtained in 1936 (41 per 1,000 births). For
the year under review it rose sharply to 60 per 1,000. This was
caused by an increase in the number of deaths from diarrhoea, and
the high mortality among illegitimate children.
The chief causes of death were substantially the same as in
1936, and once again Cancer ranked next to Organic Heart Disease
as the chief cause. The number of deaths due to violence, other
than suicide, rose from 85 to 102, and deaths from Influenza, from
39 to 71. The Tuberculosis death rate remained stationary. There
were 35 deaths from the Enteric Group of diseases during the year.
Hospitals.
Section 3 of the Report gives in detail the work done at Mayday
Hospital. With the new wards functioning the number of beds
available is now 585, though this figure is based on the computation
of 32 beds in each of the 12 old wards, whereas the number with
proper spacing should be only 28 per ward. The new Maternity
Block and the Gynaecological Block came into operation during the
year and have proved excellent in every way, being light, airy
and easy to work, circumstances which are fortunate as the demand
on the beds has been very heavy. •
One of the major problems which has arisen in hospital
administration of recent years is the shortage of nurses, both of
probationers entering for training and of trained nurses. The
causes for this are probably several and of long duration. A nurse's
life is a hard one, it is subject, as it inevitably must be in the
interests of the patients, to discipline, and it is not possible for a
girl leaving school to enter upon the work immediately. Many
girls undoubtedly, on economic grounds obtain other employment
on leaving school, when, if there was in existence some scheme
of preliminary hospital training with salary attached, they would
have entered the nursing profession. Also the ultimate financial
rewards do not compare very favourably with similar rewards in
other branches of life; though in comparing nursing with other
occupations, it is sometimes forgotten that although a nurse may
seem to receive a mediocre income in cash, she has no expenses
comparable to those entailed in occupations where the occupant has
to house and maintain herself.