Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Martin-in-the-Fields]
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longevity of our parishioners, for among them there
were 32 who had passed the age of 80. In the mortality
of the intervening ages from 5 to 60, we arrive
at the real evidence, from which we may draw conclusions
in relation to the premature destruction of
human life by disease. Perhaps the real test of the
salubrity of a district would be more correctly estimated
from a record of deaths and diseases during the
active ages of life. If sanitary science was properly
valued and understood the ravages of disease at ages
between 5 years and 60 might be very materially
diminished. I give a table of the causes of death at
these ages:—
Mortality in the Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields at Ages from 5 to 60.
Total Deaths. | Diseases. | 5 to 20. | 20 to 40. | 40 to 60. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Whooping Cough | 1 | .. | .. |
6 | Fever | 2 | 3 | 1 |
1 | Rheumatic Fever | .. | 1 | .. |
3 | Delirium Tremens | .. | 2 | 1 |
1 | Dropsy | .. | .. | 1 |
6 | Cancer | .. | 1 | 5 |
2 | Mortification | .. | 1 | 1 |
63 | Consumption | 8 | 37 | 18 |
6 | Apoplexy | .. | .. | 6 |
8 | Paralysis | .. | 1 | 7 |
10 | Diseases of Brain | 3 | 4 | 3 |
16 | „ Heart | 2 | 3 | 11 |
54 | „ Lungs | 3 | 12 | 39 |
15 | „ Digestive Organs | 1 | 6 | 8 |
7 | „ Kidney | .. | 2 | 5 |
4 | Fractures | 1 | .. | 3 |
3 | Burns | 1 | .. | .. |
2 | Suicide | .. | 2 | .. |
1 | Poison | .. | 1 | .. |
4 | Drowning | 3 | .. | 1 |
I have appended to my report the following
list of