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in spite of suffering from congenital abnormalities which later become
responsible for, or contribute to death. Weaker children, especially
in the earlier years, might succumb to infections which older children
can throw off.
Eleven survived their first but did not reach their fifth birthdays.
Of these three were in their second, three in their third and three in their
fourth years. Three of the deaths were due to respiratory complaints,
two to other infections, two to congenital abnormalities and three were due
to other diseases. No deaths were due to accidents.
Maternal Mortality
The total maternal mortality rate includes all deaths of women
primarily due to, or associated with pregnancy or childbirth, expressed
as a rate per thousand live and stillbirths registered in the year.
There were in the last year two deaths which resulted from pregnancy
or delivery, the maternal mortality rate being 0.70. One of the deaths
was the result of renal failure following a full-time confinement in hospital.
The other followed on the deliberate introduction of a liquid into the
pregnant uterus.
Deaths from Accidents
13 males and two females living in this district were killed on the roads
in 1956. In all but one of these accidents a motor vehicle was involved.
The victim was in a motor car in five instances, was on a motor cycle in
four, was on a cycle in three; he was a pedestrian on one occasion. Four
of the deaths were due to accidents which occurred in this district.
There were 32 deaths from other accidents, a rise on the 21 deaths
in 1955. 18 of these were of males, 14 were of females. The commonest
cause again was a fall of the elderly; this accounted for the deaths of
two men and five women; in all instances the fall occurred indoors.
A fall in an elderly person is especially serious because so commonly
it causes a fractured thigh with the risk of subsequent hypostatic pneumonia.
There seems to be a very great risk of the elderly person tripping
over an object which causes no inconvenience to younger persons.
Other falls accounted for four deaths, one of a baby. Poisoning was
responsible for the deaths of one male and two women. Coal gas
poisoning caused three female deaths. One child and two elderly persons
died from burns. There were three deaths this year from drowning.
Accidents caused the deaths of four children under the age of fifteen.
One was the result of a fall of a baby of four months; the other three
deaths occurred in road accidents but in each case the child was a passenger.
A woman of 76 years was murdered.
The Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Act, 1952 and the 1953
Regulations require that efficient fireguards be fitted to gas fires, electric
radiators and oil heaters before they are sold. During the year visits
were made to premises retailing heating appliances and 25 tests were
carried out. These showed that 14 radiators did not conform to the
standard.