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4
Careful enquiries are made into every case of prematurity when
parents are co-operative. The facts connected with each case are
tabulated and then sent for expert examination. It is hoped that
research into the cause of prematurity may enable preventative
measures to be taken to reduce this loss of life. Of 8 deaths of
infants under the age of 1 year, no less than 4 were due to prematurity.
Deaths.
The total number of deaths occurring amongst residents was 564
(275 males and 289 females) compared with 526 in 1954. Of this
total the cause of death was cancer in 126 cases, compared with 92
cases in the previous year. The death rate, when corrected to allow
for the high proportion of elderly persons, is 10.64 per thousand,
which compares favourably with other towns in the country.
Reference to the tables of Comparative Statistics shows that death
rates for certain important diseases (including tuberculosis) is considerably
lower in Richmond than elsewhere, whereas the rates for
influenza, pneumonia and cancer are very unfavourable. This is
due to the high proportion of elderly people in the population of
this district. It is pleasing to report that during the year there was
not a single death due to diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, or
poliomyelitis.
It should be noted that there were only 8 infant deaths and that
no child under 2 years died from enteritis. The infant mortality
rate at 13 per thousand live births is, in fact, the lowest ever
recorded.
NOTIFIABLE DISEASES.
The table in Section F sets out the number of cases of infectious
diseases notified by General Practitioners during 1955.
There was the expected high incidence of measles, but apart from
this the number of cases of other diseases was low.
Whooping Cough.
Once again the incidence of this disease was low and the cases
which did occur were generally fairly mild.
Under the scheme for immunizing children against whooping
cough, a total of 1,887 children had been given the full course of
protective inoculating by 31st December, 1955.