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haemorrhage. Maternal toxaemia was present in three instances; in one
early labour was induced because of it. Two suffered from developmental
abnormalities.
A number of stillbirths were of infants who were born full-time and
who were alive just before the onset of labour. In seven of these there was
no obvious reason for the death. In another seven, labour was difficult, in
two of these labour being overdue. Three infants were in each case one
of twins; in two of these instances delivery was by breech. Maternal
toxaemia caused death before delivery in three instances.
Death of Infants 1 to 5 years of Age
A child who survives the first year of life enters a period when the
probability of dying is very small. Some survive their first birthday 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.
Five survived their first but did not reach their fifth birthdays. Of
these, three were in their third and two in their fourth years. Two of the
deaths were due to congenital abnormalities, and two to disease. 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 0·75. One death occurred
in a hospital outside the district; the death certificate read—1 (a) Cardiac
arrest; (b) post operative caesarean section. The other death was that of
a married woman, the result of "an air embolism due to the introduction
of a frothy fluid into a pregnant uterus."
Deaths from Accidents
The three main causes of deaths from accidents are those which
occur on the road in which a motor vehicle is mostly involved, a variety
of deaths occurring in the home, and falls. There were apart from those
falling into one of these three categories six deaths the result of accidents;
four of them were the result of drowning, one of a railway accident and
another of an aircraft accident.
Death from Falls. Of the sixteen deaths from falls, all but five
were the result of falls in elderly persons occurring in their homes or
institutions in which they were living, including one which resulted from
a fall downstairs.
Road Accidents. The numbers of deaths from road accidents in
England and Wales has increased each year from the figure of 4,117 in
1952 to 5,036 in 1956. In 1957 there was a slight fall to 4,898.