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14
DEATHS
The International classification of causes of death was revised at
the eighth revision conference and adopted by the nineteenth World Health
Assembly. The year 1968 was the first full year that the Registrar General
was able to classify deaths according to the revised arrangements. Although
the specific causes of death follow the same pattern as in previous years,
the groupings into types of diseases have been revised and there are now 50
groups as against 36 in previous years. The main changes have been to
sub-divide the old category "Other defined and ill-defined diseases" into
specific diseases and one small group for ill-defined diseases. In consequence
the deaths attributed to ill-defined diseases were only 5 in 1968 as
against 228 in 1967.
While it is therefore not possible to make complete comparisons with
previous years in many instances, it is possible to do so for certain
specific causes. One instance is that deaths from lung cancer have fallen
from 195 to 190.
Last year I was pleased to report that there had been an improvement in
the infant mortality rate. I regret that the trend has been reversed and the
rate of 23.2 per thousand live births was the highest since the formation of
the Borough in 1965.
An analysis of the 114 deaths of infants under one year of age shows that
91 were due to peri-natal causes, birth injuries and congenital abnormalities
and that only 20 were due to an infection. Details are set out below:-
Analysis of deaths of children under one year of age
Enteritis 2
Pneumonia 10
Bronchitis 1
Other respiratory diseases 7
Congenital abnormalities 29
Birth injury 35
Perinatal cause 27
Accidental 1
Other external cause 2
Total 114