[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Dundee City.

  • Dundee (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Dundee City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/140 (page 5)
    Annual Report—1951 The Lord Provost, Magistrates and Town Councillors of the City of Dundee. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to submit this report on the work of the Health Department for the year 1951 in course of which Dr W. L. Burgess, C.B.E., retired from the post of Medical Officer of Health. Suitable reference was made to this event in the last annual report but it is fitting that grateful acknow- ledgment should be made of the opportunities for the con- tinued happy association with Professor Burgess in the teach- ing at the University of St Andrews of students for the M.B. degree and the Diploma in Public Health. The year under review has been one of steady work in all branches without any specially notable incident in the field of public health or social medicine. The general death rate rose by 0.5 to 14.0 per 1,000. There were 2,498 deaths compared with 2,411 the previous year. The considerable reduction in the number of deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis (33) and malignant tumours (39) was more than made up by an increase in deaths from conditions of the heart and circulation (74) and respiratory infections and diseases (79) occurring almost entirely in age group over 65 years and during the spell of severely cold weather in January, February and March. At the top of the list are diseases of the heart and circulation with 919 deaths (845 in 1950) followed by cancer with 409 (448 in 1950). The infant mortality rate fell to 41 per 1,000 live births and the decline affects both the under one month and the one to twelve months groups. Maternal mortality rate rose con- siderably. There were 3,124 Dundee births in 1951 compared with 3,171 in 1950 and 3,385 in 1949. The birth rate shows a further slight fall to 17.6 from 17.8. Included in this report will be found a section submitted by Dr Fulton, the Maternity and Infant Welfare Medical Officer, giving detailed information with regard to where and by 5 Death Rates Births and their Management