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
Camberwell 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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19
HOME SAFETY.
Six thousand fatal accidents occur annually in homes in
England and Wales which is about one-third of the total number
of accidental deaths.
The following tables indicate the number of deaths from
traffic accidents and other accidents which have occurred in
Camberwell during the past five years classified by sex and age
groups.
TABLE I DEATHS FROM MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS.
| Year | Sex | 0-5 | 5-15 | 15-65 | 65 and up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | M. | – | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| F. | – | – | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 1953 | M. | – | 2 | 11 | 2 | 15 |
| F. | – | – | 5 | 4 | 9 | |
| 1954 | M. | – | – | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| F. | 1 | – | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 1955 | M. | 1 | – | 9 | 6 | 16 |
| F. | – | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 1956 | M. | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| F. | – | – | 2 | 5 | 7 |
TABLE II DEATHS FROM ALL OTHER ACCIDENTS.
| Year | Sex | 0-5 | 5-15 | 15-65 | 65 and up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | M. | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 15 |
| F. | 1 | – | 5 | 4 | 10 | |
| 1953 | M. | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 14 |
| F. | – | – | 2 | 6 | 8 | |
| 1954 | M. | 4 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 21 |
| F. | 1 | – | 7 | 9 | 17 | |
| 1955 | M. | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 14 |
| F. | – | – | 6 | 14 | 20 | |
| 1956 | M. | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 19 |
| F. | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 22 |
Although it lias not been possible to obtain a "breakdown"
of the figures in Table II into injuries occurring in the home
in industry etc., it will be noted that about 50 per cent, occurred
in the very young and the very old, the greatest number of which
must be presumed to be at home. There is a similar pattern
in the country as a whole and it is clear that it is at the extremes
of age that home accidents are more prevalent.