[Report 1952] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1952
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1952] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/246 (page 5)
    The birth rate dropped from 15-7 in 1951 to 15-0 per thousand of the estimated population in 1952. This is the lowest recorded birth rate for the City, and is 0-7 below the average for the five years before the war. The number of children born to Edinburgh parents was 7,129—3,596 males and 3,533 females. Of these 391 (or 5-5 per cent.) were illegitimate births. There were 195 still births registered, giving a rate of 27 per thousand total births, the same rate as in 1951. On this subject there is a need for intensive study of the differences between the still birth rates and the infant mortality rates of the various towns and cities in Scotland. For example, Glasgow’s infant mortality rate is 41 per thousand births compared with the Edinburgh rate of 29, yet the still birth rates for both cities is 27 per thousand total births. On the other hand the infant mortality rates for Aberdeen and Edinburgh are 30 and 29 respectively and the still birth rate for Aberdeen is 18 compared with 27 per thousand total births in Edinburgh. Deaths from all causes numbered 5,964 and was equivalent to a death rate of 12-6 per thousand of the estimated population compared with a rate of 13-9 for 1951. Death rates rise and fall from year to year due mainly to more favourable weather conditions in one year as against another. The influence of the weather on diseases of the respiratory system and influenza in the year under review was comparatively light; 20 deaths from influenza compared with 74 in 1951 and 422 deaths from respiratory diseases compared with 616 in the previous year. The death rate (12-6) compares favourably with the rates prevailing before the war, but future trends must be viewed in the light of the changing age- distribution of the population of the City. The favourable rates of infant mortality, the reduction in the number of maternal deaths, and the death rates from tuberculosis and infectious diseases in recent years, have reached a level where any further improvements will not maintain the present favourable general death rates in face of the increasing number of elderly persons in the City. The infant mortality rate was 29 per thousand live births, an increase of two over the previous year. This increase took place in the neo-natal period and is discussed in detail in the Child Welfare Medical Officer’s section of the report. National Health Service (Scotland) Act, 1947. Medical Officers of Health have been asked to include in this year’s report a special review of the local health services in the light of experience gained over the years since the National Health Service came into operation. We are also asked to comment on co-ordination and co-operation with the other parts of the National Health Service and to make any suggestions for the improvement of any such arrangements in force locally. In this annual report there is a chapter which deals with co-ordination in accordance with the headings which had been suggested by the Department of Health and from these it will be seen that much remains to be done towards obtaining a unified and comprehensive service. Sufficient experience has been gained to make it abundantly clear that a