[Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Leicester Borough.

  • Leicester (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1961
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Leicester Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/236 (page 7)
    Neo-natal and Perinatal Mortality The slight increase in the number of deaths occurring in children under the age of four weeks was off-set by a substantial reduction in the perinatal mortality. This has dropped from 37.63 to 30.55 per thousand total live and stillbirths. It is hoped that this will continue to fall. Deaths There was a slight reduction in the deaths due to various types of heart disease. The increased deaths due to pneumonia and bronchitis were no doubt precipitated to a great extent by the prolonged period of fog to¬ wards the end of the year. Atmospheric pollution is indeed a serious hazard to those living in industrial cities and is a strong reason for pressing ahead as quickly as possible with the smoke control schemes for the City. Leicester is still regarded as one of the black areas in the country—not a good point in regard to publicity. Motor Vehicle Accidents Each year, in Leicester, some 30 to 35 people are killed on the roads. Although legislation recently introduced has been aimed at improving the standard of vehicles driven on the road, any suggestion that elderly drivers should undergo a somewhat similar scrutiny is strongly resented. It has been recommended that after the age of 60 application for the three-year renewal of a driving licence should be supported by medical proof of fitness to drive. Similarly, a man making a first application may be so severely sub¬ normal that he is unable to read or write and yet he is able to obtain a provisional licence to drive a motor cycle; surely a lethal weapon in the hands of the inexpert. Immunisation The figures for poliomyelitis immunisation are not as good as anticipated, due in great part to the shortage of vaccine supplies which occurred from the autumn of 1961. This shortage arose at a time when the outbreak in Hull had encouraged the public to seek protection. In the circumstances it was extremely fortunate that only three cases of poliomyelitis occurred in the City. Improvement has taken place in the amount of immunisation carried out in the City but comparison with other large towns (as shown on page 4) shows that Leicester still has a long way to go. Certainly the recent outbreaks of smallpox in other parts of the country stimulated Vll