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TO THE
MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS
OF THE
BOROUGH OF SOUTHGATE
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Annual Report for 1956.
The year under review was uneventful. No epidemics or even
outbreaks of infectious diseases occurred, the total number of
infectious diseases notified during the year (349) being one of the
smallest recorded for a considerable period. This matter will receive
more detailed attention in the section of the Report dealing with
the Prevalence and Control of Infectious Diseases.
The vital statistics for 1956 were satisfactory. The birth rate
fell from 11.8 per 1,000 to 11.2. The death rate was 9.9 as against
8.9 in 1955. There were no deaths from puerperal causes. Indeed,
only one woman has died during or immediately after child-birth
since 1949, during which time 6,569 births were recorded. The
Infantile Mortality Rate, i.e. the number of infants who died during
the first year of life was 13.8, one of the lowest rates recorded in
Southgate.
I would again stress that it would be useless, indeed quite
fallacious, to draw any lasting conclusions from the statistics appertaining
to one year. One must review the situation over a number
of years to see whether or not there are any trends which are
affecting the population. So far as Southgate is concerned, the birth
rate is lower than that for England and Wales, and is likely to
remain so. As might be expected, the death rate is not much lower
than that for the country as a whole. This is scarcely surprising,
bearing in mind the excessive weighting towards the older age
groups which has so long been a feature of the Borough. The
Infantile Mortality Rate is also appreciably lower than that for the
country as a whole, and has followed the downward trend which
has been apparent during the post-war years. In short, what might
be termed our basic statistics are quite uncomplicated.
It must be admitted, of course, that the statistics available to a
Medical Officer of Health are still by no means complete. It is
certainly easy to compute such rates as the birth rate, the over-all
death rate, the infantile mortality death rate and rates appertaining
to deaths from individual infectious diseases. On the other hand,
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