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13
VITAL STATISTICS.
The main vital statistics are shown on page 11 and the comparison
for those of England and Wales in Table III.
The infantile mortality rate, i.e., the death rate of children
under one year of age per 1,000 live births has increased this
year to 50 as compared with 57 for the country generally. An
analysis of the cause of these infantile deaths is given in Table V.
from which it will be seen that there was a total of 87. The
deaths under headings 22, 23, 24 and 25 are responsible for 49
as compared to 34 last year and are causes which in our present
state of knowledge it is not possible to take any active measures
to prevent.
The number of deaths from gastro-enteritis in young children
and children under one year of age was 19 as compared with 2
in the previous year. An analysis of these deaths show that
there was no marked seasonal incidence, deaths being distributed
throughout the year, the inference being that there was no
increased number of deaths from infantile diarrhoea, that disease
having its greatest incidence in July, August and September.
The birth rate is still low, being 12.85 per 1,000 population
as compared to 14.7 for the country generally.
The death rate remains very low, being 8.54 per 1,000 population.
A comparability factor given by the Registrar General has
been used in adjusting this rate so that the conditions as regards
the age distribution of the population may more closely approximate
to that of the country generally, as it is obvious that a town
with a young and vigorous population would compare favourably
with another in which there is a large number of elderly people,
unless the age of the population is taken into account in calculating
the death rate. It is for this purpose, therefore, that the
comparability factor of 1.18 is brought into use, bringing the
corrected death rate for Hendon up to 10.07 as shown In Table III.
The maternal mortality has remained low, being 1.69 per
1,000 live and still births as compared with 3 93 for the country
generally but this figure is further commented upon on page 27
of this report.