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Accidents Home accidents in Camberwell have been the subject
of special enquiry over the past few years and the results
have already been recorded (see Annual Report for 1958).
The number of deaths during the past five years from (1)
motor vehicle accidents and (2) all other accidents (the
greater number of which are in or around the home) is
shown below -
1961
1960
1959
1958
1957
Motor
Other
Motor
Other
Motor
Other
Motor
Other
Motor
Other
15
10
20
14
16
11
17
17
21
10
17
7
11
7
11
1
10
8
Males
Females
18
14
Totals
25
34
27
34
31
24
18
32
12
18
Despite intensive propaganda 'other' fatal accidents
do not diminish. It has to be remembered also that for every
death recorded there is a number of serious cases, and a
still large number of patients who require medical attention
at hospital or from the family doctor, many for long periods.
Of the 34 fatal accidents, 26 were in persons above 45
years of age, and 18 in those over 65. Three children under
5 years of age died; this may be compared with a single
death in this age group from an infectious disease which
again emphasises the changing and widening spheres of
activity demanded of preventive medicine today.
Suicide. Notification of disease, so that the incidence
of any particular illness in the community may be known,
is one of the most useful sources of information available
to the Medical Officer of Health in his efforts to reduce
morbidity.
The incidence of mental illnesses in the community
is known to be increasing, but since these illnesses are
not notifiable, it is difficult to gather data which will
reliably show the people at risk and suggest the remedial
measures which can be taken to help both the individual
and the community.
The number of persons who die by committing suicide
may, however, give some indication of the problem, since
this will show the trend in this extreme manifestation
of mental and social illness. The graph on page 44 shows
such statistics for the past ten years in Camberwell. It
is disturbing to find that the number of suicides in 1961
(32) is almost double that in 1960 (17). It is interesting
to note that the increase is particularly marked in the