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 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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| 13.M.Cancer of Buccal Cavity and Oesophagus (males only) | 6 | - | 6 |
| 13.F. Cancer of Uterus (females only) | — | 9 | 9 |
| 14. Cancer of Stomach and Duodenum | 12 | 10 | 22 |
| 15. Cancer of Breast | — | 20 | 20 |
| 16. Cancer of all other sites | 49 | 44 | 93 |
| 17. Diabetes | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 18. Intra-Cranial Vascular Lesions | 30 | 66 | 96 |
| 19. Heart Disease | 101 | 126 | 227 |
| 20. Other Diseases of the Circulatory System | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| 21. Bronchitis | 28 | 27 | 55 |
| 22. Pneumonia | 14 | 21 | 35 |
| 23. Other Respiratory Diseases | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 24. Ulcer of the Stomach or Duodenum | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| 25. Diarrhoea (under 2 years of age) | — | — | — |
| 26. Appendicitis | — | 1 | 1 |
| 27. Other Digestive Diseases | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| 28. Nephritis | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 29. Puerperal and Post-Abortive Sepsis | — | — | — |
| 30. Other Maternal causes | — | 1 | 1 |
| 31. Premature Birth | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 32. Congenital Malformations, Birth Injury, Infantile Diseases | 10 | 6 | 16 |
| 33. Suicide | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 34. Road Traffic Accidents | 3 | — | 3 |
| 35. Other violent causes | 12 | 13 | 25 |
| 36. All other causes | 19 | 29 | 48 |
| Totals | 345 | 435 | 780 |
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
During 1947, 20 deaths occurred in infants under one year of age,
giving an infantile mortality rate for Wimbledon of 18 per thousand
live births, as compared with a rate of 41 for England and Wales.
The total number of neo-natal deaths (i.e. deaths occurring during
the first month of life) was 13, giving a neo-natal death-rate of 11.8
per thousand live births. Of these 13 deaths, 10 occurred during the
first week of life.
In 16 cases the cause of death was prematurity or congenital
defects. A further 2 deaths were due to pneumonia. One child was
asphyxiated by the pressure of bedclothes. The remaining death was
of a newly-born child whose body was found outside a church in the
Borough.
The following table shows the causes of, and ages at, death,
together with the Ward distribution. From the table " Summary of
Statistics " it will be seen that this is the first time the infantile mortality
rate in Wimbledon has dropped below 20.
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