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VITAL STATISTICS
Births
The total number of live births during the year was 3,890, giving a crude birth
rate of 14.6 and a standardised birth rate of 15.2 compared with the rate for England
and Wales of 16.3.
Deaths
Consequent upon the Eighth Revision of the International Statistical Classification
of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death, adopted by the Nineteenth World
Health Assembly in 1966, the General Register Office brought a new classification
into use in relation to records and statistics from 1968. The new classification differs
from the old in a number of ways, some of which are fundamental. This has resulted
in creating difficulties in comparing statistics from 1968 onwards with previous years
and although broadly equivalent categories are available, exact comparability cannot
be assumed.
The number of deaths during the year was 3,135 (1,559 males and 1,576 females)
giving a crude death rate of 11.8 and a standardised death rate of 11.2 (England and
Wales 11.9).
The more prevalent causes of death were cardio- vascular system 1,542, malignant
neoplasm 681, and diseases of the respiratory system (excluding malignant neoplasm)
484. Of the cardio- vascular causes 810 were due to ischaemic heart disease, 360 to
cerebro- vascular disease, 54 to hypertensive disease, 32 to chronic rheumatic heart
disease, 133 to other forms of heart disease, and 153 to other diseases of the
circulatory system.
Of the malignant neoplasm causes of death, 190 (of which 153 were males)
involved the lung and bronchus, 88 the stomach, 79 the breast and 15 the cervix of
the uterus.
Of the diseases of the respiratory system, bronchitis and emphysema accounted
for 194 deaths, pneumonia 216 deaths and tuberculosis five deaths.
There were no deaths during the year from diphtheria, whooping cough, poliomyelitis
or measles.
Forty-four per cent, of all deaths, i.e. 525 males and 859 females, were of
persons aged 75 years or more.
Twenty-nine per cent., i.e. 326 males and 580 females, were of persons aged
80 years or more.
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