[Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Pontefract Borough.

Pontefract (England). Borough Council.

Date:: 1939

Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Pontefract Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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r- - 4 < Of the 273 deaths, 152 (56 per cent of total deaths) were of persons 60 years or over, whilst 23 were of children under 1 year (5 per cent, of total deaths). Female deaths numbered 125, '24 more than were recorded last year; male deaths numbered 148. an increase of 27. Heart disease gives the highest death rate, 72 deaths having been registered as due to this cause. Cancer was responsible for 45 deaths, 20 more than in the previous year; the increase being mainly due to increased incidence in the 45 to 60 age group. Diseases of the respiratory system accounted for 30 deaths, 1 more than last year, whilst diseases of the digestive system were responsible for 6 deaths, a decrease of 3* Infective diseases were given as cause of death in 31 cases, 11 more than in the previous year. The aggregate increase was mainly due to increases in deaths due to diphtheria, influenza and tuberculosis. Infant Mortality. The number of deaths of infants under one year of age was 23, 3 more than in 1937* This yields an infant mortality rate of 53 per 1,000 births, as compared with 49 in the previous year. The rate for the triennial period 1936-1938 was 62. The 1939 rate for England and 'ales is 50* The following table gives the causes of infant deaths and age groups;