[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Bootle County Borough.

  • Bootle (Lancashire, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Bootle County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/68 (page 3)
    FOREWORD The Mayor, AldciDien aiid Councillors of the County Boinuyh of Boollc. 1 have ijleasure in presenting to you the Annual Iteport for the r year 1951, being the seventy-ninth of the series, on the health of the •1 people of the County Borough of Bootle. From a study of the vital statistics given in the report, it is pleasing n to note that new low records for the Borough were established foi' the < infant mortality rate and the death rates both from Pulmonary Tuber- ; culosis and Tuberculosis (all forms). I The total number of live births was 1,554, being 3:2 less than the pi'evious year. This gives a birth rate of 20'8 jier 1,000 po])ulation, as against 22'6 for 1950. Though the birth i-ate is showing a continuous decline from the peak year of 1947 when it was 30‘3, the rate is well I above that of England and \\’ales, which is 15'5 per 1,000 ])opulation. The total nmnher of deaths from all causes was 901, giving a general death I'ate of 12’0 ])ei' thousand, as against 701 deaths with a rate of lO'O pel’ thousand for the previous year, and 12’5 for that of hlngland and Wales. In considering this increase of 200 in the deaths over the jirevious year, it is to be noted that 153 of these deaths occurred in the age group 05 vears and upwairds. In this age group, 33 deaths were due to Inllu- enza, as against none in 1950; 44 deaths from Pneumonia, as against 15; and 63 deaths from Bi’onchitis, as against 37 in 1950. There was a total of 49 deaths due to Influenza, as against none in 1950. The Influenza, epidemic appeared in Hcandinavia in Xovember and December, and S|)read to the whole of Xorthern Euro])e, reaching (Ireat Britain by the middle of December, and appearing simultaneously at Xew’castle and ^ferseyside. I’he epidemic, was widespread but of short duration, and a glance at the deaths in age groups show's that the fatality chiefly affected the elderly. The following table shows the Influenza deaths in the Borough in age groups.