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
Chelsea 1964
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1964
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28
ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME
The following summary of home accidents occurring within the
Administrative County of London daring 1964 has been prepared from
statistical information which has kindly been provided by the County
Medical Officer of Health, During the year, 85 Chelsea home
accident cases were removed to hospital by the London Ambulance Service
compared with 92 and 91 cases in 1963 and 1962 respectively, The
home accident figures for L,C,C, Health Division 1 (comprising the
boroughs of Chelsea, Kensington, Hammersmith and Fulham) are shown
separately, and it will be observed that falls in and about the home
continued to cause the highest casualty rate, Of a total of 1,139
accident cases reported in Health Division 1, 853 (75,0%) were due to
falls,
Summary of Home Accidents reported by the London Ambulance Service
| Cause of accident | County of London | Division1 -comprising Chelsea, Kensington, Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | ||
| On stairs | 824 | 122 |
| From ladder | 98 | 14 |
| From chair | 146 | 14 |
| Outside (i,e, windows, balconies, roofs, etc,) | 198 | 28 |
| In garden | 175 | 11 |
| In bath | 21 | 1 |
| From one level to another, (i,e, tables, boxes, beds, etc,) | 341 | 4l |
| On same level (i,e, in room, over objects) | 470 | 59 |
| Unspecified | 4,509 | 563 |
| Sub-Total | 6,782 | 853 |
| Hit by object | 218 | 23 |
| Cooking stove (saucepans, water, fats, etc,) | 170 | 21 |
| Teapot | 59 | 6 |
| Other boiling water | 199 | 26 |
| Electric shock | 49 | 4 |
| Poisoning (including foreign objects) | 473 | 58 |
| Gassing | 185 | 22 |
| Knife-like wounds (including spikes and cuts from glass) | 373 | 44 |
| Fires | 221 | 24 |
| Windows (trapping) | 23 | 5 |
| Suffocation | 27 | 4 |
| Not specified | 412 | 49 |
| TOTAL | 9,191 | 1,139 |