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DEATHS
The net number of deaths accredited to the district for the
year 1960 was 555, 49 less than in 1959. This gives a crude
death rate of 11.5 per 1,000 of the population and a corrected
death rate of 11.0.
From the table which sets out the causes of death for 1960
(Page 30), it will once again be seen that diseases of the heart
and circulation made up by far the greatest single cause of death
in the Borough (118, or 2.5 per 1,000 of population, died of coronary
disease, angina). Deaths from cancer made up the second
largest cause (113 cases or 2.3 per 1,000), the most alarming
feature being, of course, the continued increase in cancer of the
lung and cancer of the bronchus. This bears out what I have
already said that modem epidemiology must take into account all
the factors which affect health or which produce death. These
matters are, I need scarcely say, of national rather than local
importance. So far as can be ascertained, there are no conditions
existing in Wood Green which encourage either coronary thrombosis
or lung cancer. Health education must still remain our most powerful
weapon in the fight against these two very serious diseases.
I myself have written on coronary thrombosis on anumber of occasions
while the Chief Health Education Officer is paying particular
attention to schools in an attempt to persuade children to
resist the temptation to start smoking. This would seem to be
the most profitable line of approach, and it is sincerely to be
hoped that efforts made in this direction will have their effect
on future generations,
INQUESTS
Twenty-eight inquests were held following the deaths of
Wood Green residents during 1960 A further 145 post mortem
examinations were carried out without an inquest, 70 of these in
the Prince of Wales Hospital which, by arrangement with the Wood
Green Borough Council, provides mortuary services,
MATERNAL MORTALITY
No cases of maternal mortality were reported.
INFANT MORTALITY
There were 22 deaths of infants under one year of age, which
gives an infant death rate of 3.4 per 1,000 live births, as compared
with 14 deaths and a rate of 20.5 in the preceding year.
Among the 22 infants who died in Wood Green during 1960 before
they had reached the age of twelve months, 18 were under the age
of one month. Of these, 16 failed to survive one week, in fact
15 died in the first day.
Every infant death is carefully scrutinised. Although the
infant mortality figures for the last few years are very much
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