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
Kensington 1925
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1925
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It will be seen that more than one-third of the deaths, or 927, were due to diseases
of the heart or the organs of respiration. Phthisis, an infectious or preventable disease,
caused 134 deaths.
The diseases described in the above list as the "principal zymotic diseases" are small-pox,
measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping-cough, enteric fever (including fever not otherwise
defined) and diarrhœa; together they were responsible for a substantial number of deaths, the
causes of which are very largely preventable.
The following table shows the zymotic death rate for London and Kensington in each of the last five years.
| Deaths from Principal Zymotic persons living. | Diseases per 1000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Period. | Kensington. | London. |
| 1921 | 1.02 | 0.98 |
| 1922 | 0.97 | 1.11 |
| 1923 | 0.69 | 0.60 |
| 1924 | 0.80 | 0.73 |
| 1925 | 0.46 | 0.59 |
The low rate in Kensington in 1925 results mainly from a decrease in the number of deaths
from measles.
Cancer.—Cancer caused 315 deaths, and of this number 287 occurred in persons over the age
of 45 years. Carcinoma was the form of cancer to which 262 deaths were attributed ; sarcoma
and epithelioma were the assigned cause of 22 deaths; 31 deaths were certified as due to cancer
or malignant disease without further definition.
The parts of the body which were affected m each case are shown m the following table DEATHS FROM CANCER 1925.
| Parts Affected. | Sex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male. | Female. | Total. | |||
| Buccal Cavity | 9 | 2 | 11 | ||
| Stomach, Liver, etc. | 34 | 41 | 75 | ||
| Peritoneum, Intestines, Rectum | 26 | 39 | 65 | ||
| Female Genital Organs | ... | 34 | 34 | ||
| Breast | • •• | 31 | 31 | ||
| Skin | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Other and unspecified Organs | 53 | 42 | 95 | ||
| Totals | 123 | 192 | 315 | ||
The deaths in the several wards, etc., are set out in the following table:—
| The deaths in the several wards, etc., are set out in the following table:— | ||
| The Borough | 315 | |
| North Kensington | 156 | |
| South Kensington Wards. | 157 | |
| St. Charles | 38 | |
| Golborne | 37 | |
| Norland | 42 | |
| Pembridge | 39 | |
| Holland | 36 | |
| Earl's Court | 28 | |
| Queen's Gate | 33 | |
| Redcliffe | 36 | |
| Brompton | 24 | |
| Ward Unknown | 2 | |
Making every allowance for improved diagnostic methods and other factors, there can be no
doubt that the death rate from cancer is steadily increasing. The number of deaths from this
disease in Kensington in each year from 1901 to 1905 and in each of the last five years is as
follows:—