[Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough.

  • Barnsley (England : Unitary authority). County Borough Council.
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/170 (page 9)
    The findings at inquests held by H.M. Coroner during 1967 on Barnsley residents were as follows: MALE 1. Deaths certified from Natural Causes .. .. 2 2. Deaths certified as Road Traffic Accidents .. 9 3. Deaths certified as Occupation Accidents .. 1 4. Deaths certified as Home and other Accidents 4 5. Deaths certified as Suicide 3 6. Deaths certified as Homicide 1 FEMALE 3 7 1 Comment: Both the birth rate and the death rate show appreciable decreases when compared with the previous few years. It must be emphasised again that in a community of some 76,000 it would be imprudent to attempt to draw any conclusion from figures such as these where they refer to a single year and do not appear to be associated with any established trend. The fact that 20 fewer illegitimate births have been recorded merits attention and may well be the subject of several explanations. It will be interesting to observe the future trend of statistics relating to illegitimacy. The figures relative to infantile mortality are not so favourable as for the previous year. In last year’s report it was emphasised that those must be regarded as exceptionally good. The occurrence of 3 more infant deaths in 1967, coupled with a smaller number of births has resulted in Barnsley’s figure reverting to a position above the national average. Nevertheless, this figure of 22.76 per 1,000 live births conforms more nearly to the steady downward trend—above but parallel to the national average—that has come to be expected in the vital statistics for Barnsley and similar industrial communities. There was one stillbirth fewer than in 1966. Again it must be emphasised that these figures should only be con- sidered in relation to recent advances in paediatrics and obstetrics. The practical application of these result from time to time in the survival, if only for a short period, of products of conception which, did they show no sign of life, would be classified as abortions. These latter it must be borne in mind do not appear in any statistical return relating to “legally viable” infants. The fact that no maternal death was recorded is satisfactory but is hardly unexpected. Examination of the causes of death in Table I produces one disquieting thought. The number of deaths from cancer of the lung at 45 is the highest ever recorded for Barnsley. Reference to these tables over the years shows a steady increase in deaths from this cause. In 1957 and 1958 the number each year was 19. In view of recent work on this subject, these figures might be interpreted as indicating that cigarette smoking has been far too prevalent in Barnsley.