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deaths are in excess of the female deaths for all age groups up
to the 76-85 group, after which there are a greater number of
female deaths than male. It will be seen that the highest
number of deaths occurs in the 66-75 group (177), and that the
next highest, with 160, is the 76-85 group. These groups
provide more than half the total number of deaths.
It is of interest perhaps that out of 162 deaths from Heart
Disease, Rheumatism and specific infections have only been
mentioned 23 times. Either Rheumatism is an exaggerated
cause of Heart Disease, or Heart Disease is exaggerated as a
cause of death. Coronary Thrombosis, however, is recorded
70 times as a contributory cause. It is worth noting, too, that
out of 387 old persons of over 65, in only 52 of them is old
age mentioned as a contributory factor, and in only 8 of them
is old age recorded as the cause of death. Out of 46 deaths
in old people over 86, old age is only responsible for 2 deaths,
and of the 19 who were 90 and over it was only recorded as the
primary cause of death in 3 cases.
Enlargement by growth of the prostate, including Cancer of
the prostate of which there were 2 cases, is recorded as having
played a part in 17 deaths, the greatest number -7- falling in the
age group 66-75. There were 5 in the 56-65 group, and none
under the age of 56. Asthma, though by impression a relatively
common disease, is rarely recorded on the certificates as a
contributory cause of death (it was mentioned in only 7 cases),
and Diabetes was recorded 10 times only.
On pages 20 and 21 will be found graphs showing reports of
the number of deaths from violence, suicide, and from road accidents
for the past 30 years. The road deaths are compiled from the
Inquests and include deaths of non-residents. They are in fact
deaths occurring in the streets and roads of Merton and Morden.
The peak of road deaths occurred in 1933 (20), and 1934 was a
bad year with only one less. However, taking into consideration
the population of the district, 1929 (14 deaths) would appear to
be our worst year with a death rate of 0.51 per 1,000 population,
as the lower graph on page 20 shows. 1946 was also a bad
year (12 deaths) but when the number of vehicles on the road
is taken into consideration (see top of graph on page 20) there
seems no doubt that the local death rate from road accidents
has greatly improved.
The graph on page 21 giving the deaths from violence,
(apart from suicide) shows a peak in 1934 and minor peaks in
1933 and 1938, with the exception of the war years, especially
1940 and 1944, when a considerable number of deaths were due
to enemy action.
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