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 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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| 0-4 yrs. | 5-14 yrs. | 15-24 yrs. | 25-44 yrs. | 45-64 yrs. | 65-74 yrs. | 75 yrs & over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALE (Contd ) | |||||||
| Struck by falling wall | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | |
| Aeroplane Accident | - | - | - | 1 | - | ||
| Accident at sport | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | |
| Fall at work | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Gun shot accident | - | - | 1 | - | - | ||
| FEMALE | |||||||
| Fall at home | - | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 19 |
| Fall in hospital, institutionetc. | - | - | - | 2 | 8 | ||
| Burns | - | - | 3 | ||||
| Coal gas poisoning | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | ||
| Railway accident | - | 1 | - | - | |||
| Pedal cycle accident | - | - | 1 | ||||
| Poisoning | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | ||
| Fall from horse | - | 1 | - | - | |||
| Anaesthesia death | - | — | - | - | 1 | - | - |
It should be noted that in females 89 4 per cent. of the deaths occurred at age
65 years and over as compared with 45.8 per cent. in males. Prevention of accidents
is the responsibility of everyone. Care and attention in the home, in the factory
and on the roads is essential and the special proneness to accidents of the aged
should be remembered
INFANT MORTALITY - During 1956 there were 22 deaths of children under the age
of 1 year. This represents an infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births of 17.8
as compared with 23.8 for England and Wales. The causes of infant deaths are shown
in Table V. In
the following table, the change in the local infant mo over 5 year periods from 1898 is shown:-
| NO.of live births | No. of deaths under 1 year | infant Mortality Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-1902 | 4,369 | 698 | 160 |
| 1903-1907 | 5,264 | 665 | 126 |
| 1908-1912 | 5,383 | 590 | 110 |
| 1913-1917 | 4,661 | 461 | 99 |
| 1918-1922 | 4,326 | 327 | 76 |
| 1923-1927 | 4,333 | 271 | 63 |
| 1928-1932 | 6,055 | 318 | 53 |
| 1933-1937 | 7,121 | 313 | 44 |
| 19381942 | 6,912 | 393 | 57 |
| 1943-1947 | 8,210 | 345 | 42 |
| 1948-1952 | 6,680 | 146 | 22 |
| 1953 | 1,268 | 23 | 18 |
| 1954 | 1,185 | 31 | 26 |
| 1955 | 1,164 | 28 | 24 |
| 1956 | 1,235 | 22 | 18 |
The changing significance in infant mortality of certain causes of death is indicated below:-
| Deaths under 1 year of age per 1 000 live births. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-05 | 1911-15 | 1921-25 | 1931-35 | 1941-45 | 1951-55 | |
| Tuberculosis | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | - |
| Measles and whooping cough | 7.7 | 8.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | - |
| Bronchitis and pneumonia | 22.4 | 21.5 | 9.8 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 2.8 |
| Diarrhoea and enteritis | 37.4 | 22.5 | 9.8 | 3.7 | 9.3 | 0.3 |
| Prematurity, congenital malformations, etc. | 25.5 | 26.8 | 19.2 | 20.3 | 24.9 | 15.5 |
| All other causes | 46.1 | 29.0 | 25.6 | 14.7 | 11.3 | 2.5 |
The hard core of infant deaths is due to congenital malformations, prematurity
and associated conditions and most of these deaths occur before the age of one week.
Continued effort is needed from all concerned to improve antenatal care, management
of labour and the nurture of young babies.
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