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
Bermondsey 1963
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1963
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AIR POLLUTION
Few people nowadays are unaware of the blessings of really
clean air; a trip outside the London area is usually necessary to
obtain it.
What of the permanent residents of inner London who breathe
polluted air by day and night, year by year ? Obviously they are
going to suffer pulmonary effects on a greater scale than rural or
seaside dwellers. Statistics amply confirm this supposition insofar
as bronchitis and cancer of the lung are concerned.
DEATH RATES PER THOUSAND/POPULATION
| 1960 | 1961 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronchitis | Cancer of the Lung and Bronchus | Bronchitis | Cancer of the Lung and Bronchus | |
| England and Wales | ·57 | ·48 | ·67 | ·49 |
| Bermondsey | ·8 | ·8 | ·9 | ·75 |
| Bethnal Green | ·88 | ·80 | 1·31 | ·78 |
| Islington | ·85 | ·81 | 1·10 | ·75 |
| Poplar | ·85 | ·63 | 1·20 | ·59 |
| Southwark | ·94 | ·84 | 1·16 | ·79 |
| Stepney | 1·09 | ·56 | 1·09 | ·87 |
STANDARDISED MORTALITY RATIO Statistics supplied by General Register Office, Somerset House 1961
| Males | Females | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| expected | actual | S.M.R. | expected | actual | S.M.R. | |
| Bermondsey | 295·20 | 317 | 107 | 297·37 | 288 | 97 |
| Southwark | 484·39 | 630 | 130 | 494·18 | 618 | 125 |
| Stepney | 525·72 | 661 | 126 | 446·75 | 542 | 121 |
| Poplar | 363·41 | 379 | 104 | 339·42 | 335 | 99 |
| Bethnal Green | 276·45 | 290 | 105 | 288·55 | 278 | 96 |
| Islington | 1,223·29 | 1,337 | 109 | 1,296·82 | 1,253 | 97 |
| Admin. County of London | – | – | 105 | – | – | 96 |
The Standardised Mortality Ratio (S.M.R.) shows the number of deaths in
each area as a percentage of the numbers which would have been expected had
the sex/age mortality of England and Wales been experienced in these areas.
Pollution from Chimneys
In so important a matter what has been done, what is being done
and what will be done to attenuate the serious long-term effects of air
pollution ? The answer lies in the hands of the residents themselves
to demand cleaner air and to act accordingly. There has indeed been