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5
The death rate for 1950 was 10.2 per thousand as compared
with 9.95 during 1949 and the death rate adjusted for
comparison with other areas was 11.0 compared with 10.75 in
1949. The death rate for England and Wales for 1950 was
11.6 so that the rate for the Borough was lower than that for
the country as a whole.
The infant mortality rate, that most sensitive index of
environmental conditions, parental care and welfare services,
at 20 per thousand relative live births was the lowest ever
recorded in the Borough and compared well with 23.9 per
thousand in 1949 and with 29.8 per thousand which was the
rate for the country as a whole for the year 1950. As the infant
mortality rate for the Borough in 1930 was 65.6 per thousand,
there has been a reduction of two thirds in the infant mortality
rate in 20 years, and this despite the war years and the many
adverse factors which resulted from it. We are now reaping
the reward of 40 years of preventive health services which has
brought about a revolution in the care of the infant. It should
be remembered, however, that the considerable fall in the birth
rate during the past 60 years has also had much to do with this
result. Although there were no deaths from infantile diarrhoea,
there were 7 deaths from pneumonia, so that there is still much
room for improvement and it is evident that a rate even below
20 per thousand is still possible although 20 years ago this
would have appeared to be a Utopian dream.
During 1950 no mother died as a result of childbirth in
the Borough, giving a maternal rate of nil per thousand
compared with 0.86 per thousand for the country as a whole.
In 1928 there were 5.84 deaths per thousand total births. This
great improvement is a reflection of advances in obstetric
services and of the application of sulphonamide drugs of
penicillin and other antibiotics to the practice of midwifery.
During the year 1950, no case of diphtheria was notified
in the Borough and, as in 1949, there were no deaths from any
notifiable infectious disease, with the exception of tuberculosis
which remains one of the gravest medico-social problems
confronting the health services. Housing assistance was given
during the year by the Council in a number of cases of tuberculosis
which had been referred to them by the Medical Officer
of Health.
The needs of old people received considerable attention
during the year and attention is drawn to the report on page 28
which deals with the setting up, in the Borough, of an Old
People's Welfare Committee to provide "good neighbour"