[Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/242
    and in the area, that the proposal has been accepted in principle by the Health Committee for the establishment of a district health, welfare and advice centre. In this centre an attempt would be made to co-ordinate the work at a local level of all social and medical workers in the district. This would allow the general practitioner to play a bigger part in influencing and using social workers in his area. It would in turn relieve him of some of the time-consuming social problems which he could readily refer to the centre. Plans are being developed for weekly group meetings attended by a psychiatrist, the social workers permanently based on the unit and the local general practitioners; monthly meetings would also be advisable with visiting officials from the Ministry of Labour, National Assistance Board, etc., whilst the unit would be available in the evenings for the use of voluntary associa- tions, e.g. Marriage Guidance Council, Council of Social Service, etc. Vital Statistics (page 4) The Registrar-General estimates the civilian population for mid-1965 at 472,352, a decrease of 918 on 1964; this compares with the census figure of 468,378 taken in April 1961. Registered live births numbered 8,370 giving a rate of 17-7 per thousand population compared with 18-5 in 1964, a decrease of 0-8. The rate for Scotland was 19-3, a decrease of 0-7 on the previous year. There were 122 still-births, a decrease of 21 on the previous year’s figure; the rate of 14 per thousand total births was 2 lower than that for 1964. The number of deaths registered during the yeai; was 6,150 giving a death rate of 13 0 per thousand of the population as compared with 12-4 for 1964; the rate for Scotland was 12T. Deaths from all forms of tuberculosis numbered 18, 10 more than in 1964. Respiratory tuberculosis accounted for 14 deaths compared with 8 in 1964. Deaths from all forms of cancer increased by 1 in 1965 to 1,268, whilst deaths from cancer of the lung and bronchus decreased by 23 to 354. Deaths from bronchitis rose to 284 compared with 276 deaths in 1964. Deaths of infants under one year of age registered during the year numbered 197, 16 more than 1964. The infant mortality rate of 24 per thousand live births was 3 higher than that for 1964 which was the lowest level previously recorded. The rate for Scotland in 1965 was 23. The number of neonatal deaths was 146 giving a rate of 17 per thousand births compared with 15 in 1964, which was the lowest ever recorded in the city. The perinatal mortality rate increased by 0-3 from the record low level in 1964 to 29-6. Deaths in the age group 1-5 years numbered 20, a new low record for the city. Notifications of infectious diseases during 1965 numbered 3,906, a decrease of 81 on the previous year. Although whooping cough and measles both declined, dysentery increased by over 50 per cent, to 1,315 cases. Twelve deaths occurred from notifiable disease during the year (8 influenza, 3 meningococcal infections and 1 measles) compared with 10 deaths in 1964.