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
Heston and Isleworth 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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A progressive change is taking place in the percentage age distribution of deaths and this is shown in the following table:—
| 1910-14 | 1945-19 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 21.8 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.15 |
| 1—4 years | 8.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.74 |
| 5-14 years | 3.8 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.18 |
| 15-24 years | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.84 |
| 25-64 years | 30.8 | 33.0 | 33.1 | 32.9 | 31.11 |
| 65 years and over | 31.5 | 56.7 | 62.0 | 63.4 | 64.48 |
The chief causes of death in males were heart and circulatory diseases (198), cancer (96), bronchitis
and pneumonia (88) and cerebral haemorrhage (43). In females the chief causes of death were heart and
circulatory diseases (174), cancer (95), cerebral haemorrhage (78), and bronchitis and pneumonia (56).
The following table shows the age distribution of deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis and cancer of the lung during the ten years 1943-52:—
| Age at Death | Pulmonary Tuberculosis | Cancer of the lung | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| 15-24 years | 23 | 34 | - | 1 |
| 25-34 years | 31 | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| 35—44 years | 31 | 22 | 20 | 6 |
| 45-54 years | 47 | 18 | 45 | 7 |
| 55-64 years | 59 | 12 | 91 | 12 |
| 65 years and over | 30 | 10 | 90 | 23 |
| 221 | 137 | 248 | 51 | |
It will be seen that, in men, cancer of the lung causes as many deaths as pulmonary tuberculosis.
The former is more frequent in the higher age groups, but it should be noted that it does take an appreciable
toll during normal working life. The relative freedom of women from cancer of the lung is still
unexplained. A careful analysis of the tobacco smoking habits of about 1,500 lung cancer patients and
of the same number of patients suffering from other conditions and matched as to age, sex, social status,
etc. has been carried out and the investigators came to the conclusion that tobacco smoking is a factor in
the production of cancer of the lung. What part tobacco smoking does play has yet to be discovered and
further research is being undertaken.
The Borough was enveloped in dense fog from the morning of 5th December till the morning of
9th December. The effect of this on deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia is shown in the following
graph:—
Weekly deaths of
HESTON & ISLE WORTH
residents from
BRONCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA
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