[Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard Borough.

  • Liskeard (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ^ S' BOROUGH 0_F LISKEARD, / .THE ANNUAL RTE-ORT_OF_ TK^ .MEDICAL OFFICER OF IIEALTl! FOR THE YEAR 1957. 4V~ To: The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Corpora] Your Worship, Ladies, and Gentlemen, Borough of Liskeard. During the year 1957 the estimated total population of the Health Area ^““A,2?0 “«»*«- with 1956. There was l sizeable “f £o in Tor^oint U.D. with smaller increases of 40 in Looe u.D. and 10 in Liskeard Population fell by 60 in Liskeard R.D., 50 in St. Germans * * d 50 111 Salt ash M.B. Generally speaking there is in this part of C rnwa J. a small excess of live births over deaths, but in 1957 the position de^hf'? liTC toths - 691 - ™ <*» 1^33 thanPthe to?al for deaths. The birth rate for the Health Area was 15.4 per 1000 of population IV He^lOOn^^ the national, figure of 16.1 per 1000. The still birth rate at /.l per 1000 total births was below the national figure of 22.4 The infant mortality rate at 17,4 per 1000 live births was also below the figure of 23,0 or England and Wales. I am glad to be able to report that during 1957 there were no maternal deaths. b on the ZZZ in the Health totalled 692, an increase of 40 sl^htl195n t ZZ The d6ath ratS at 12,2 per 1000 of the Population was ?or m na^°nal rate of 11 *5. The average age at death was 67 years ’ a ZZ reductlon on last years figure of 68 yeans. That for females bv the v Z thenS£jne 7s in ^56. Both figures are very close to those given 1956 Ge?6wan ln the most^recently published Abridged Life Tables for c-iq/ , ¥ ^ Wales. 01 the 692 persons who died during the year, 352 or 5175 had attained or exceeded the age of 75 years at the time of death. The CnaUSe ofdeath was heart disease with various forms of cancer again g second place. Of defined cancerous conditions, that affecting the 1UnG was nost nuuerous although showing some reduction on the figure IZsZ Z Z-Z interesting to note that of the 21 persons who died as the suit of accidents, in only 4 were motor vehicles implicated. . .p1 recent years, and more particularly in my Annual Reports for 1956, I •nr*nh'Gn a ^ue increase in deaths from broncnial and lung cancer and the connecta°n Between this diaease and prolonged and/or heavy consumption of . f®00’ esPac:Lally m the form of cigarettes. There have been no great developments the investigations which are going on into this important subject. I think it is g nerally agreec that as the factors which cause these cancers probably act over the roZZZiZ*11* yeaf?.the answers to the various problems posed by this disease will cquire the marsxialling of facts, and figures over a long period before confident and g > eraliy accepted recommendations for prevention can be put forward. In the meantime the available evidence continues to suggest that cigarette smoking is the principal culprit, and one feels bound to continue to advise young adults to leave the tobacco a it alone since this is much more easily done than trying to break with it when once it has become firmly established. The total number of cases of notifiable disease, other than tuberculosis, rose sharply from 480 cases in 1956 to 1466 cases in 1957. This was brought about yna ®Barp epidemic of measles in the Rural Districts of St. Germans and Liskeard. and the Borough of Saltash, The epidemic commenced in the Liskeard Rural District in January and from there it spread to Saltash Borough and St. Germans Rural District finally dying out m the latter district as late as October 1957. In spite of the large number of cases of measles notified - 1270 in all - there were no deaths from the disease. It is also remarkable that in Torpoint U.D., Liskeard M.B. and Looe U.D. tYe incidence of the disease was very light. I have noted this apparent immunity SLfP11 • ?n ^ S°ne districts immediately adjoining measles epidemic districts in other '^epidemic years but am quite unable to give any convincing reason for it. Of the more serious infectious diseases there were two cases of poliomyelitis, one case of paratyphoid infection, and two cases of diphtheria. The case of paratyphoid infection was contracted in France. In the case of non-paralytic poliomyelitis the diagnosis was in some doubt, and it appeared that the disease, if present, was contracted outside Cornwall. Of the -two diphtheria cases one was a 35 year old man too old to have been included in the immunisation programme which commenced in 1940. The other cane was a 2 year old boy whose parents had refused or more probably juot not bothered to