ENG-1955 — Page 140

PUBLIC HEALTH

103

in 1954. The following table gives the statistics of births and deaths for the last six years:

Births

Birth-Rate per 1,000 of population

Deaths

Death-Rate per 1,000 of population

1950

60,600

26.8

18,465

8.2

1951

68,500

34

20,580

10.2

1952

71,976

32

19,459

8.6

1953

75,544

33.6

18,300

8.1

1954

83,317

36.6

19,283

8.5

1955

90,511

38.7

19,080

8.2

The maternal mortality rate in 1955 was 1.16 per 1,000 births, compared with 1.24 per 1,000 births in 1954, and 0.97 in 1953. The infant mortality rate was 66.4 per 1,000 live births, compared with 72.4 per 1,000 in 1954, and 73.6 in 1953. The infant mortality rate has fallen steadily since the war and, if the war years are excluded, over the last 25 years. The neo-natal mortality, or number of children dying in the first month of life, was 2,095, giving a neo-natal mortality rate of 23.1 per 1,000 live births. The number of still-births was 1,250, giving a pre-natal mortality rate of 13.8 per 1,000 live births.

PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

Responsibility for the administration of public health is divided between the Department of Medical and Health Services, the Urban Council, the Urban Services Department, and the New Territories Administration. The Department of Medical and Health Services deals with such matters as epidemiology, vital and morbidity statistics, maternal and child health, school hygiene and the health of schoolchildren, malaria control, tuberculosis control, measures to combat social diseases, health education, port health control and international health matters, and supplies hospital and out- patient services. The Urban Council and the Urban Services Department are concerned with environmental sanitation, domestic cleanliness, and control of the import, preparation, handling and sale of food. The District Commissioner, New