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Deaths.
The net number of deaths registered during the year was 1,186
(678 males and 508 females), as compared with 1,183 last year. The rate
of 12.08 compares with 12.04 for 1955. The principal causes of death
were heart disease, which accounted for 29 per cent of the total deaths,
cancer 20 per cent, and diseases of the respiratory system 17 per cent.
Deaths of persons over the age of 65 accounted for 63 per cent of the
total deaths. Details of deaths by cause and age are given in Table 1
of the Appendix on pages 54 and 55.
In England and Wales to-day the expectation of life of a boy at birth
is 68 years, and of a girl 73 years, compared with 40 and 42 years respectively
in 1841, and with 59 and 63 between the years 1930-1932.
Infant Mortality.
The deaths of infants under one year of age numbered 43, giving a
rate of 22,52 per 1,000 live births, as compared with 23.00 last year.
The rate for England and Wales for the year is 23.8. Of the infant
deaths 34 were under 4 weeks old, representing a rate of 17.81 per 1,000
live births. Last year there were 33 neo-natal deaths, and the rate was
18.07 per 1,000 live births. The neo-natal mortality rate for England
and Wales is 16.9.
On analysing the 43 deaths of infants which occurred in Stepney it
is found that 26 died from causes that from the first gave little chance
of survival. These included 16 cases of prematurity and 8 others due to
congenital deformities. Of the 16 premature cases, 8 died within 24
hours of birth and 12 weighed under 3 lbs. One infant aged two weeks
died from a cancerous tumour of the brain (medullo blastoma).
The "peri-natal" mortality rate of infants (viz. the stillbirths
plus deaths occurring in the first week of life) was 29.21, compared with
37.49 last year.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, in his annual
report for 1955, stated that though the peri-natal mortality had been
about halved since 1928, it has shown little improvement since 1949, the
most striking improvement which has taken place in the infant mortality
rates as a whole in recent years being due entirely to the saving of
infant life after the first week.
The Tables on page 56 show deaths from stated causes at various
ages under one year, together with comparative figures over the last 5
years.
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