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13
Bronchitis
Emphysema
Deaths due to bronchitis and emphysema increased by 14 above the
1967 figure to 142.
Female
Cancers
There were 76 deaths from female cancers, 59 of the breast and 17
of the uterus, which showed a decline from similar deaths in 1967.
Accidents
81 people died as a result of accident, 35 of these being road
accidents. There were 8 accidental deaths in children under the age of
15.
Suicide
Suicides remained at the same fairly constant figure of 30; 3 of
these occurred in persons under the age of 25.
Lead
Poisoning
There was an unusual occurrence when, following notification of
the admission of an Asian child aged 3½ years to hospital with a diagnosis
of gastro-enteritis, treatment and investigation proved it to be a case
of severe lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy. The child was
seriously ill and comatose although eventually recovered.
Constant liaison was established with the hospital and the family;
father, mother and two of the children were investigated, the latter
showed a raised blood lead level but after two days treatment in hospital
were discharged. The parents showed no abnormality.
Samples of potential lead bearing elements in the home were sent
for analysis but were not considered causal. However, the mother, in
common with certain asiatics, used an imported eye cosmetic which
proved to contain 88% lead sulphide. This substance had been stated as
the cause of a similar case of poisoning in another hospital. In addition,
an analysis was done of antimony in hair and nails of the children "at
risks" by the neutron activation technique of Smales and Pate, Anlayst,
1952, 77, 196. For this sophisticated technique we are grateful to the
Laboratory of the Government Chemist. However, antimony and arsenic
estimations were within normal limits.
Considerable publicity was given to the potential dangers of using
such cosmetics.