[Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Halifax County Borough.

  • Halifax (England). County Borough Council. nb2008024085.
Date:
1958
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Halifax County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/94 (page 4)
    Annual Report FOR THE YEAR 1958. To the Chairman and Members of the Health Committee. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The annual report for 1950 which I have the honour to presen is late in being submitted on account of the printing dispute whic] took place in the month of June. The population at 95,250 mid-1958, continued to diminish, bu \ am still too new to Halifax to assess the complex factors whic] account for this. The summary below gives the chief vital and mortal statistic for the period under review as compared with those for the previou years. It is disappointing to report a raised Infant Mortality fron 18.65 per thousand live births in 1957 to 27.56 per thousand liv births in 1958. 75% of all infant deaths took place in the first an* fourth quarters of the year. 50% of the increased number of death was due to respiratory diseases. Of all the pre-disposing influence which can be considered in relation to the increase, social, epi demiological or environmental, the only dominant factor is th pollution of the atmosphere which occurred in these quarters, an< it is a practical expression of the medical importance of smok control which is discussed elsewhere (see graphs on Pages 84 to 87} Summary of Statistics. No. of No. of Pulm. Matern j il Still Illeg. T.B. Cancer Year B.R. D.R. I.M.R. D.R. Births Births D.R. D.R. 1957 15-73 15-53 18-65 •65 33 101 •14 2-60 1958 1600 14-93 27-56 •65 24 102 12 2-48 The number of live births (after adjustments for inward an* outward transfers)— in 1958 was 1,524 in 1957 was 1,501 The number of deaths (after adjustments for inward and out ward transfers)— in 1958 was 1,422 in 1957 was 1,482 An interesting feature is the slight rise in the birth rate whic: has also occurred throughout the country. While there is a rise ii infant deaths under the age of 1 year, the general death rate ha fallen and that for the whole country has risen. One materna death during the year maintained the M.M.R. at 0-65.