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died last year forty-two per cent had reached the age of seventy-five, and fourteen
per cent had reached the age of eighty-five.
Infant Mortality.
The infant mortality rate is the ratio of the number of infant deaths
under one year per thousand born in the year. Although higher rates
are still found where enviromental conditions are not satisfactory, this rate is
not these days the index it used to be of the general healthiness of the
district. Most of the infant deaths which now occur, take place within
the first days or even the first hours of birth, and are now more related to
conditions operating at birth than to environment.
The local rates have constantly been below the national rates; with
the rapid fall in the rates for the country as a whole, the gap is narrowing.
Last year, fifty-six (31 male, 25 female) infants living in the district or
born to mothers ordinarily resident here died under one year of age, a
slight fall on the figure of fifty-eight in 1960. The infant mortality rate
was therefore 18.1 as compared with that of 18.6 in 1960. The rate for
the country as a whole was 21.4, a figure 0.5 below that of 1960, the
previous lowest.
Of these fifty-six deaths, thirty-nine occurred in infants under one
month of age. The neonatal rate therefore was 12.6, comprising sixtynine
per cent of the infant mortality rate.
Of the twenty-four infants who failed to survive twenty-four hours,
only one was born at home; the Coroner's verdict of the cause of death
was atelectasis. Of those born to mothers in hospital or nursing homes,
in nine, the infant was prematurely born; seven died of developmental
abnormalities and five from birth injuries. Twelve infants survived
twenty-four hours but failed to live one week. None of these was born
to mothers confined in their own homes. Three of the infants were born
prematurely; three suffered from birth injuries and three had congenital
abnormalities.
Only one infant who survived one week, failed to reach one month;
be had some developmental abnormality.
Nineteen infants reached the age of one month but failed to reach
the age of one year. In nine, the deaths were due to respiratory trouble
and in six to some developmental abnormality.
In reply to a question put to him in the House, the Minister of Health
gave some information about the infant mortality rates of certain towns
for each of the previous 10 years. The following table sets out the rates
for each year for the country as a whole and the three areas whether
County Boroughs, Municipal Boroughs or Urban Districts with populaions
of 200,000 or over with the lowest rates:—