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18
Infant Mortality
During the year 35 (22 male and 13 females) infants living in the
district, or born to mothers ordinarily resident here, died under one year
of age. This was a decrease of 7 on the figure for 1970 and with 2,943 live
births gives an infant mortality rate of 12.0 compared with that of 14.0
in 1969. The rate for England and Wales was 18.0.
Twenty-one or approximately 60% of these infant deaths occurred
during the first four weeks of life giving neo-natal mortality rate of 7.0
per thousand live births. Twenty of these neo-natal deaths occurred
during the first week of life, prematurity being the main cause of death.
These early neo-natal deaths combined with the still births give a perinatal
mortality rate of 18.0 per thousand, live and still births, compared
with a rate of 19.0 for 1970.
Maternal Mortality
One death occurred during 1971 due to causes associated with
pregnancy and childbirth.
Deaths
The total number of deaths of residents of the Borough was 2,111
giving a death rate of 10.3 per 1,000 population. Liability to death varies
at different ages and also between the sexes. Accordingly, to offset the
effect of these variations and so produce a rate which can be used for
comparison purposes with other districts in the country as a whole, the
Registrar General calculates for each district a comparability factor which,
when applied to the crude death of 10.3 gives an adjusted death rate of
10.6 which then compares with the death rate of 11.6 per 1,000 population
for England and Wales. The main causes of death were as follows:-
1. Heart Disease 683
2. Cancer 494
3. Cerebrovascular disease 258
Deaths from Heart Disease
This disease complex accounted for 698 deaths during 1971 with
once again the principal cause ischaemic heart disease accounting for 530
deaths.
Prevention of this disease complex is still very much theoretical but
there seems to be no doubt about the fact that a certain amount of blame
can be placed on obesity, raised blood pressures, raised blood lipids, lack
of exercise and cigarette smoking. This being so, the practice of preventive
measures should be a straightforward matter easily assimilated by all.
However, as the general pattern of the present day affluent society seems