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Telephone No. : FINchley 0018 Public Health Department,
308, Regents Park Road,
Finchley, N.3.
TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE BOROUGH
OF FINCHLEY.
In accordance with my statutory duty as your Medical Officer of Health I have the
honour to present my Annual Report for the year 1961. This report is prepared
according to the Ministry of Health circular 1/62 and preceding relevant circulars.
VITAL STATISTICS:
Population:
The preliminary report on the Census 1961 shows that we had a population of
69,311 persons, a decrease of 680 persons or 1% since the Census of 1951 when the
population was 69,991. In 1961 the population was housed in 21,320 houses, flats
or other commercial properties with living accommodation, whereas in 1951 the number
of dwellings was 19,664. It is therefore pleasing to note that the occupancy per
dwelling has been reduced from 3.56 persons to 3.25 persons. This, of course, does
not mean that statutory overcrowding has been eliminated.
Death Rate:
The death rate of 12.3 was higher than that of 1960 which was 10.7 or 847 deaths
as against 738 deaths in 1960, an increase of 109; 82 of these additional deaths occurred
in the age group 65 years and upwards. The major causes of death were first, diseases
of the heart and blood vessels and second, cancer of various types. Cancer of the lung
caused 39 deaths as compared to 38 deaths in 1960; 19 of these occurred in the middle
age group, i.e., between the ages of 45 and 65 years. I would again draw attention
to the dangers of cigarette smoking and its close relation to lung cancer. Many of us can
recall the dread and fear engendered by Tuberculosis not so very long ago but a
glance at the graph on page 25 should indicate that death from cancer of the lung
is now more than three times more common than death from respiratory tuberculosis.
I am pleased to report again that as in 1960 there were no maternal deaths; this
is a tribute to our doctors, midwives and health visitors, both in hospitals and on the
district.
Birth Rate:
A total of 989 babies were born in Finchley in 1961 compared to 1,052 last year.
A birth rate of 13.8 compared to a national average of 17.4.
Infant Mortality Rate :
Twenty-three infants under the age of one year died giving a rate of 23.3, i.e.,
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