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TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS
OF THE BOROUGH OF FINCHLEY.
October, 1957.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my Report for the year 1956. The
overall picture indicates that the health of the people of Finchley is
good, and is improving. For the newly-born, the chances of survival
and good health have never been better. The infantile mortality rate
which shows the deaths of children in the first year of life, was
13.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. This compares favourably with a
rate of 19.1 in the County of Middlesex as a whole and a rate of
23.8 in England and Wales. It is not so many years ago since the
infantile mortality rate in Finchley was many times the rate shown
for this year, for instance, in 1934 there were 59 deaths per 1,000
live births in Finchley. The neo-natal death rate, which indicates
the number of deaths in the first month of life per 1,000 births, fell
during the year to 8.8, the national average for the country being
16.9. During the first year of life, 7 out of 12 deaths occurred in the
first month and were caused by congenital defects which cannot be
avoided by treatment. There are many reasons for this great
improvement in the chances of a baby's survival in the first year of
life. Improved standards of living, better diet, and education of the
mother as well as improved medical services and modern drugs, all
play a part. Turning to the causes of death for those surviving the
first year of life we find the statistics reflect the fact that Finchley has
an ageing population. The most striking item in all the statistics is
the prominence of deaths caused by diseases of the heart and circulation.
Of the 831 deaths in the Borough, more than half (442) were
from this cause, and the vast majority of persons affected (368)
were over the age of 65. Neverthless, the standardised death rate of
10.9 is less than the national average for the country of 11.7.
The care of the aged continues to be a problem for General
Practitioners, Hospitals, the Welfare Services, and Voluntary Organisations.
The main difficulty is in the care of those who are regarded
as "Chronic sick" who cannot look after themselves properly at
home, but whom the Hospital Authorities are naturally reluctant to
admit as they prefer to use the beds for more acute cases. The
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