London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wimbledon 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
This page requires JavaScript
The crude death rate is, strictly speaking, not comparable with
the figure for England and Wales. in order to provide for this the
Registrar-General introduced some years ago an areal comparability
factor. This factor, however, is not available this year, but
assuming it to be the same as for 1940 the adjusted death rate for
Wimbledon would be 12.44 per thousand of the population as compared
with a figure of 11.6 per thousand for England and Wales.
CAUSES OF DEATH
| Males | Females | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers . | — | — | — |
| 2. Cerebro-spinal fever | — | — | — |
| 3. Scarlet Fever | — | — | — |
| 4. Whooping cough | — | — | — |
| 5. Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| 6. Tuberculosis of respiratory system | 13 | 17 | 30 |
| 7. Other forms of tuberculosis .. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8. Syphilitic diseases | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 9. Influenza | 3 | — | 3 |
| 10. Measles | — | — | — |
| 11. Acute poliomyelitis & polio- oncephalitis | — | — | — |
| 12. acute infectious encephalitis | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13.M. Cancer of buccal cavity and oesophagus (males only) | 7 | — | 7 |
| 13.E. Cancer of uterus | — | 7 | 7 |
| 14. Cancer of stomach and duodenum | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| 15. Cancer of breast | — | 15 | 15 |
| 16. Cancer of all. other sites | 39 | 36 | 75 |
| 17. Diabetes | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 18. Intra-cranial vascular lesions | 31 | 51 | 82 |
| 19. Heart disease | 75 | 103 | 178 |
| 20. Other diseases of the circulatory system | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| 21. Bronchitis | 17 | 26 | 43 |
| 22. Pneumonia | 20 | 14 | 34 |
| 23. Other respiratory diseases | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 24. Ulcer of the stomach or duodenum | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 25. Diaarrhoea (under 2 years of age) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 26. Appendicitis | — | 1 | 1 |
| 27. Other digestive diseases | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| 28. Nephritis | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| 29. Puerperal and post-abortive sepsis | — | — | — |
| 30. Other maternal causes | — | — | — |
| 31. Premature birth | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| 32. Congenital malformations, birth injury, infantile disease | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 33. Suicide | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 34. Road traffic accidents | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 35. Other violent causes | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| 36. All other causes | 32 | 27 | 59 |
| Totals | 316 | 369 | 685 |
Over half the total deaths which occurred amongst Wimbledon
residents in 1942 were again due to cancer, diseases of the heart and
circulation, and diseases of the respiratory system.
Infant Mortality.
There wore thirty infant deaths (including transferable deaths)
giving an Infantile Mortality Rate of forty-one per thousand live
births, the same rate as for the previous year. In 1940 tho figure was
forty-three per thousand. During 1942 the Infantile Mortality Rate
for England and Wales was forty-nine.
5.