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
Wimbledon 1939
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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The death rates show a decrease on the figure for the
previous year and are lover than that for England and Wales.
The crude death rate for Wimbledon is, strictly speaking,
not comparable with the figure for England and Wales. In order
to provide for this the Registrar-General has introduced a
comparability factor. This factor, for Wimbledon is 0.90. The
adjusted death rate for Wimbledon for 1939 is consequently 10.53
per thousand of the population as compared with a figure of 12.1 per
thousand for England and vales.
CAUSES OF DEATH.
| Males | Female | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Typhoid & Paratyphoid Fevers | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2. | Measles | — | — | — |
| 3. | Scarlet Fever | — | — | — |
| 4. | Whooping Cough | — | — | 1 |
| 5. | Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| 6. | Influenza | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| 7. | Encephalitis Lethargica | — | — | — |
| 8. | Cerebro-spinal Fever | 1 | — | 1 |
| 9. | Tuberculosis of respiratory system | 7 | 19 | 26 |
| 10. | Other tuberculous diseases | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11. | Syphilis | — | 1 | — |
| 12. | General paralysis of the insane, tabes dorsalis, etc. | 1 | 1 | |
| 13. | Cancer | 46 | 59 | 105 |
| 14. | Diabetes | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 15. | Cerebral Haemorrhage | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| 16. | Heart Disease | 91 | 102 | 193 |
| 17. | Aneurysm | 1 | — | 1 |
| 18. | Other circulatory diseases | 25 | 37 | 62 |
| 19. | Bronchitis | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 20. | Pneumonia (all forms) | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| 21. | Other respiratory diseases | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 22. | Peptic Ulcer | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| 23. | Diarrhoea under two years | — | — | — |
| 24. | Appendioitis | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 25. | Cirrhosis of Liver | — | 1 | 1 |
| 26. | Other diseases of Liver, etc. | — | 2 | 2 |
| 27. | Other Digestive Diseases | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| 28. | Acute-and Chronic Nephritis | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 29. | Puerperal Sepsis | — | 1 | |
| 30. | Other Puerperal Diseases | — | — | — |
| 31. | Congenital Debility, Premature'Birth etc. | 4 | 8 | |
| 32. | Senility | 3 | 13 | 16 |
| 33. | Suicide | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 34. | Other Violerice | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| 35. | Other Defined Diseases | 27 | 18 | 45 |
| 36. | Causes ill-defined or unknown | 2 | 2 | |
| Totals | 306 | 350 | 656 | |
Over half the total deaths which occurred amongst Wimbledon
residents in 1939 were due to cancer and. diseases of the heart and
circulation.
Infantile Mortality.
There were eighteen infant deaths (including transferable
deaths) giving an Infantile Mortality Rate of twenty-nine per thousand
live births. This is tho lowest figure ever recorded in
Wimbledon. In 1938 the figure was forty-five per thousand. During
1939 tho Infantile Mortality Rate for England and Wales was fifty.