London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hampstead 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hampstead Borough]
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12
There were 36 deaths of children under the age of one
year as compared with 30 in the previous year.
Accidental Deaths
During the year six Hampstead residents were killed in
road accidents involving mechanically propelled vehicles. Two
of these were men who were drivers of a motor cycle and a motor
scooter respectively. The other four persons were women and all
were pedestrians •whose average age was 73 years.
Deaths from other kinds of accident numbered 24, but
particulars are only available of 23 of them.
Age Distribution
| Age | 15- | 25- | 45- | 65- | 75- | 85 upwards | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Female | - | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| TOTAL | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 23 |
Cause of Accident
| Fall in the house | 3 | 5 | 76 years |
| Fall outside house | 1 | 3 | 64 years |
| Fire | 1 | 2 | 84 years |
| Coal gas poisoning | 1 | 3 | 46 years |
In addition one man died from each of the following
causes:- fall off a horse; fall between a train and the platfom
drowning; accidental overdose of medicine.
It will be noted that these accidental deaths of
Hampstead. residents did not necessarily occur within the Borough.
There were no accidental deaths of children below the age of 15
years but of the 29 accidental deaths (including road accidents)
almost half (l4) were of persons over 75 years.
Suicides
In the Annual Report for 1954 a detailed report was
given of the investigation and analysis of all the suicides
which had occurred in Hampstead in the four years 1950 to 1953*
because the Registrar General had commented on the fact that in
the year 1950 Hampstead had had the highest suicide rate in the
country.