[Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Dundee City.

  • Dundee (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1962
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1962] / Medical Officer of Health, Dundee City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/216 (page 5)
    Annual Report, 1962 The Lord Provost, Magistrates and Town Councillors of the City of Dundee, Ladies and Gentlemen, The year 1962, was a busy one for the Health and Welfare Department with over 3,000 people being specially vaccinated against smallpox at the beginning of the year following outbreaks of smallpox in parts of England and Wales and a serious outbreak of poliomyelitis in the City between 25th Ma> and 5th July. The outbreak of poliomyelitis, in particular, seriously affected the routine work of the Department and this is reflected in some measure in the results achieved by the various Sections. Vital Statistics : It will be seen from the statistics shown opposite that the health of the City has been maintained at a reasonably satisfactory level. Deaths from tuberculosis have reached a new low and the number of still births has fallen to 18 per 1,000 births. The rise in the illegitimate birth rate has stopped although this year’s figure is still above the average for Scotland. Population : The population of the city as estimated by the Registrar General at the middle of 1962 was 183,560 an increase of 706 over the previous year. The natural increase of population—the increase of births over deaths— is 1,485. Deaths : The number of deaths corrected for transfers during 1962 was 2,260 compared with 2,153 in 1961. The respective rates per 1,000 population were 12.3 and 11.8. The figures for Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow are 11.6, 12.8 and 12.6 respectively, while the death rate for Scotland as a whole is 12.2 and for large burghs 11.7. The average age at death during 1962 was 65.9 years compared with 67.8 years in 1961, and the proportional mortality ratio, which is the number of deaths at the age of 50 years and over, expressed as a percentage of the total number of deaths in the population, was 88.8 per cent. In 1961 this figure was 86.2 per cent. Deaths from respiratory conditions and influenza rose slightly from 202 in 1961 to 216. Bronchitis and pneumonia deaths continue to increase and accounted for fifteen more deaths than in the previous year. Influenza deaths amounted to six which is four less than in 1961.