[Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Cockermouth U.D.C.

  • Cockermouth (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1958
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Cockermouth U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHIEF OCCUPATIONS OF THE INHABITANTS. Cockermouth is an old market town (its Royal Charter having been granted in the year 1221). For many years Saw-Mills, Build- ing Contractors, a Brewery and the Railway have emj)loyed a con- siderable number of ])ersons (mainly male) and since 1939 five new works of employment were commenced; one of these, a Blood Manure factory has ceased; the other four are made up of a Shoe and Slipper factory, a Clothing factory, a light Engineering works and a Precast Concrete works, employing altogether over 1,100 persons including a large number of female labour, particularly at the two first-named which also have workers from outside the Urban area. There are as well, of course, those individuals absorbed by the usual businesses and trades of a small country town. A few lind employment about the large cattle Mart, whilst a few are engaged in agriculture, and in coal mines, quarries and steelworks outside the district. STATISTICS. The Tables of vital statistics are set out below showing birtu rates, death rates and rates lor maternal and infantile mortality. Crude birth and death rates are corrected by means of an Area Comparability Factor supplied each year by the Registrar General. They allow for varying age and sex distribution of the population in different areas and enable comparisons to be made with figures for other areas. This year the factor for births is 1.01 and for deaths 1.00. The total live births were 85, a decrease of 10 on the figure fori 1957, resulting in a birth rate of 15.9 (16.1 corrected), compared with 17.8 in 1957. Three of the births were illegitimate. There were no still births. In 1957 this figure was 42.2 and in 19.56, 10.1. The number of deaths at all ages was 77 giving a death rate of 14.3 per thousand of population compared with 13.2 in 1957. There were no maternal deaths during the year. There was 1 death of an infant under 1 year of age, the death resulting from an acute respiratory infection. Deaths from cancer increased from 11 in 1957 to 15 in 1958, two (jf which were due to lung cancer. These figures are too small to have any statistical significance however. There was one death from Tuberculosis during the year.