Annual report on the vital statistics, sanitary conditions and sanitary administration of the Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain.

  • Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Annual report on the vital statistics, sanitary conditions and sanitary administration of the Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that of the preceding year, viz. . 2673, by 1 '41 per 1,000 population. The average birth-rate for the previous five years was 28'92, being slightly in excess of the figures for the year under review. A statement of the births and birth¬ rates with the sex distribution is given in Table II. Deaths.—The deaths totalled 1,476, of which 776 were males and 700 females, yielding a death-rate of 22 23 per 1,000 population, compared with 1,433 deaths and a death-rate of 21'85, being an increase of 43 and 0'38 respectively over the previous year, but a decline of 1'08 per 1,000 on the average mortality for the previous five years. Table III shows the sex distribution of the deaths and the death-rates month by month, and the age distribution of the deaths appears in Table IV. A monthly record of deaths of non-residents at the Colonial Hospital is given in Table V. Deaths from all causes are classified in Table VI, and the principal causes of deaths with the death-rates therefrom appear in the comparative summary of vital statistics for the quinquennium 1923-1927 and the year 1928 given in Table I. Still-Births.—Still-births numbered 158, or 8'46 per cent, of the registered live-births, compared with 134 still-births, or 7'64 per cent, of live-births, registered in the preceding year. The still-birth rate for the previous five years was also 8'46, which showed that there was neither increase nor decrease in the rate at which lifeless infants are being born in the City. The number of still¬ births month by month and the still-birth rates are shown in Table VII. Infant Mortality.—Deaths of infants under one year numbered 238, being- two more than in the previous year—with an infant mortality rate of 127*41 — a gratifying decrease of 17'22 desths per 1,000 live-births on the corresponding rate for 1927. The proportion of deaths of infants under one year to the total deaths from all causes was 1612 per cent., compared with 16'47 per cent, in preceding year. The causes of infant mortality are classified in Table VIII and, foi the purpose of comparison with corresponding statistics in previous annual reports, are grouped as follows :— Congenital syphilis, congenital debility, prematurity, marasmus, malnutrition and seven other conditions commonly attributed to ante-natal causes . .54.2 per cent. Gastro-intestinal diseases .. .. .. .. .. ..24.4 Respiratory diseases .. .. .. .. .. .. ..10.1 Malaria .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.1 Dysentery . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.1 Nine other causes of death, including meningitis, miliary tuberculosis, whooping cough, dentition, asphyxia, umbilical haemorrhage, worms, cerebral congestion and nephritis . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 do. do. do. do. do. 100.0 The infant mortality rates for the seven years 1922-1928 below :— 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 157-89 141.58 147.09 D4-95 156.57 I34-63 127.41 are contrasted These declining figures, though far in excess of future possibilities, are not unsatisfactory when compared with the infant mortality rate of the preceding septennial period. They are, indeed, sufficiently encouraging to be regarded as an indication that with increased public support of the energetic efforts of the Child Welfare League, backed—as the situation clearly seems to call for— by municipal aid, a far more decisive check can be put on the appalling wastage which is annually taking place of the lives of the young and helpless human beings born in this prosperous City.