[Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C.

  • Liskeard (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1959
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    RURAL DISTRICT OF LISKEARD THE ANNUAL REPORT of the MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH for the Year 1959 To the Chairman and Members of the Rural District Council of Liskeard. Mr. Chairman, Mrs. Tregarthen and Gentlemen, The estimated population of No. 7 Health Area fell by 500 in 1959 to a total of 50,730. Of individual County Districts St. Germans Rural District, Torpoint Urban District and Liskeard Municipal Borough all showed decreases ; there was no change in Liskeard Rural District and Saltash Municipal Borough and Looe Urban District had small increases. The corrected birth rate of 14.0 per 1,000 of population was below the 1958 rate and was also below the national rate of 16.5 live births per 1,000 of the popula¬ tion. The number of still-births fell by 7 to a total of 13 as compared with 1958 and brought the still-birth rate slightly below that for England and Wales. The corrected death rate of 12.4 per 1,000 of population was slightly above the national figure of 11.6 and the excess of deaths over live births was 61 suggesting a higher than usual proportion of elderly persons in the population of South East Cornwall. There were no deaths attributable to pregnancy and childbirth and infant deaths fell by 6 to a total of 9, bringing the infant mortality rate well below that for the country as a whole. The prevalence of diseases causing death was substantially unchanged with heart disease, cancer and “ strokes ” in that order at the head of the list. Of the specifically defined forms of cancer that affecting the stomach was the most frequent cause of death with cancer of the lung and bronchus following very closely behind it. The incidence of infectious disease (not including tuberculosis) was not particularly heavy during 1959 when 615 cases in all were notified. Cases of measles, of which 444 were notified, made up two-thirds of the total. Of the more serious forms of notifiable disease one case of non-paralytic polio¬ myelitis and one case of meningitis only were notified. If previous impressions are any guide I would have expected some increased prevalence of poliomyelitis in association with the hot dry summer weather of 1959. The fact that one mild case only occurred leads one to hope and believe that the poliomyelitis vaccination campaign has produced this wholly desirable result. It is yet too early to express any firm or useful opinion on the duration of the immunity which the vaccine provides but there are suggestions that a further (fourth) injection will be necessary to provide really satisfactory immunity of reasonable duration. Whilst the response to this prophylactic measure was quite good in those up to 15 years of age in the 15 to 25 year age group the interest shown was very poor, and the majority in this age group have not bothered to avail themselves of this measure of protection against polio¬ myelitis. This scheme has now been extended to include persons up to the age of 40 years, but here again preliminary impressions are of very limited interest by those in the 25 to 40 year age group.