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a rise of 17 on the figure for 1961 and with 3,246 live births gives an infant
mortality rate of 22.5 as compared with that of 18.1 in 1961. The rate for
the country as a whole was 20.7. 78 per cent of the infant deaths occurred
in infants under 1 month of age, giving a neo-natal mortality rate of 17.6.
The majority of these neo-natal deaths occurred before the age of 1 week
and were due to congenital malformations and prematurity. This fact
only goes to show that still greater efforts are required to improve to an
even higher degree the ante-natal care of the mothers and the post-natal
care of the child.
Maternal Mortality.
No deaths occurred during 1961 due to causes associated with
pregnancy and child birth.
Deaths.
The total number of deaths of residents of the Borough was 2,190,
giving a death rate of 10.4 per 1,000 population. Liability to death varies
at different ages and also between the sexes. In order to offset the effects of
these variations and so produce a rate which can be used for comparison
purposes with other districts and the country as a whole, the RegistrarGeneral
calculates for each district a comparability factor which when
applied to the crude death rate of 10.4 gives an adjusted death rate of 121,
which then compares with a death rate of 11.9 for 1,000 population for
England and Wales. Comparison of the Registrar-General's abridged list
of causes of death in the district for 1961 with the list for 1962 shows
little change in the chief causes of death. These are:—
1. Diseases of the circulatory system 819 deaths
2. Cancer 487 deaths
3. Vascular diseases of the central nervous system 260 deaths
897 deaths registered were of people over 75 years of age, i.e. 41 per
cent of the total deaths registered in the district.
Deaths from Cancer.
In 1962 the number of deaths from cancer was 266 males and 221
females. Of deaths from this cause in males, in 114 the site was the lungs,
in 28 the stomach. Of deaths amongst females, the breast was the site in 52,
the stomach in 26 and the lung in 19 and the uterus in 18.
Deaths due to lung cancer still remain at a high level and as it will be
some years yet before the impact of the Anti-Smoking Campaign can be
seen, no doubt high figures like this will be the order of the day.
Deaths from Accidents.
Deaths from motor vehicle and other accidents decreased. 51 people
died from these causes as compared with 56 in 1961.
Deaths from Infectious Diseases.
There were 5 deaths from tuberculosis and 5 from influenza during
1962. There were none from measles, whooping cough or poliomyelitis.