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
Deptford 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Deptford, Metropolitan Borough of]
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18
Causes of Death.
An analysis of the causes of death will be found in Table I of the Appendix. The following is a comparative statement of the chief causes of mortality in recent years :
| Cause of Death. | Rate per 1.000 deaths 'all causes), 1929. | Average No. for 10 years 1915-24. | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | Increase or decrease over average for 1925-1928 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 4 | 27 | 31 | 31 | — | 30 | 6 | -17 |
| Whooping Cough | 11 | 24 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 16 | + 4 |
| Diphtheria | 2 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 3 | -14 |
| Influenza.. | 47 | 70 | 34 | 22 | 39 | 10 | 70 | +44 |
| Tuberculosis —Pulmonary | 61 | 136 | 104 | 91 | 119 | 107 | 90 | -15 |
| Non-pulmonary | 7 | 32 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 30 | 11 | - 9 |
| Cancer | 101 | 133 | 164 | 159 | 170 | 152 | 150 | -11 |
| Heart Disease | 219 | 128 | 176 | 188 | 222 | 250 | 324 | + 115 |
| Cerebral Haemorrhage, Embolism and Thrombos's | 32 | 67 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 47 | -11 |
| Bronchttis | 76 | 140 | 123 | 83 | 87 | 70 | 112 | + 21 |
| Pneumonia (all forms) | 98 | 154 | 114 | 108 | 120 | 118 | 146 | + 31 |
| Nephritis | 21 | 35 | 33 | 28 | 49 | 30 | 31 | - 4 |
| Diarrhoea and Enteritis | 15 | 45 | 17 | 25 | 8 | 25 | 22 | + 3 |
| Violence (excluding Suicides) | 35 | 48 | 56 | 49 | 39 | 48 | 52 | + 4 |
| Premature Birth Malformation and Debility | 37 | 86 | 51 | 49 | 45 | 44 | 55 | + 8 |
The following Table expresses as percentages of the total mortality the incidence in the various age groups:—
| Average 1915-1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 16.3 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 10.3 | 9.5 |
| From 1-2 years | 4.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 2.3 |
| „ 2-5 years | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| „ 5-15 years | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| ,, 15-25 years | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| „ 25-45 years | 12.3 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 9.9 |
| ,, 45-65 years | 23.3 | 28.0 | 27.5 | 29.4 | 26.2 | 27.5 |
| 65 years and upwards | 30.8 | 37.8 | 38.8 | 39.9 | 39.0 | 42.6 |
Infantile Mortality.
The steady fall in the infantile mortality (i.e., in the deaths of
children under one year of age) which had been manifest for some
years, received a check in 1928 and the figures for 1929 show no