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
Finsbury 1903
Report on the public health of 1903
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20
heading, Marasmus. It is not unlikely that some of these cases are
due to tuberculosis and other constitutional diseases. It will have
been noticed that nearly one quarter of the total number of deaths
in the Borough are of infants under one year of age.
SENILE MORTALITY.
The deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards were as follows:—
Intra-Parochial and Extra-Parochial—
North Clerkenwell 124
South Clerkenwell 103
} = 375
Finsbury (St. Luke) 137
St. Sepulchre 11
One hundred and sixty three of these were men, and 212 were
women.
Out of the total of 375, 104 were between 65-70 years of age.
193 „ 70-80 „
71 „ 80-90 „
6 „ 90-100 „
1 „ 100 and upwards.
The claims of death at the two extremes of life, and the effect of season, are shown in the following table of total deaths, intra-parochial and extra-parochial:—
| Jan-March | April-June | July-Sept | Oct-Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infants under 1 year | 132 | 92 | 140 | 139 | 503 |
| Persons over 65 years | 124 | 79 | 76 | 96 | 375 |
The causes of death amongst aged persons will naturally be those
attributable to strain and exhaustion. The number of deaths, over
65 per 1,000 of the population, will also depend to a considerable
degree upon the social status of the majority of the population.
In an industrial community there will naturally be fewer lives
attaining old age. Senility, Heart Disease, Pneumonia, Cerebral
Diseases, Paralysis, etc., are common causes of death.