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 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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It will be seen that over one-third of the deaths, or 932, were due to diseases of the heart or
the organs of respiration. Phthisis, an infectious and preventable disease, caused 105 deaths.
The diseases described in the above list as the "principal zymotic diseases" are smallpox,
measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, enteric fever (including fever not otherwise
defined) and diarrhœa.
Cancer.—Cancer caused 321 deaths, and of this number 298 occurred in persons over the age
of 45 years. Carcinoma was the form of cancer to which 281 deaths were attributed; sarcoma
and epithelioma were the assigned causes of 14 deaths; 26 deaths were certified as due to cancer
or malignant disease without further definition.
| Cause of death. | Number of deaths. |
|---|---|
| Principal zymotic (or epidemic) diseases | 97 |
| Epidemic influenza | 34 |
| Phthisis | 105 |
| Other tuberculous diseases | 18 |
| Cancer | 321 |
| Bronchitis | 46 |
| Pneumonia | 160 |
| Heart disease | 621 |
| Acute and chronic nephritis | 57 |
| Puerperal fever | 2 |
| Premature birth, etc. | 51 |
| Violence (including suicide 29) | 105 |
| Old age | 22 |
| All other causes | 562 |
| 2,201 |
The parts of the body which were affected in each case are shown in the following table:— Deaths from Cancer, 1936.
| Parts affected. | Sex. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male. | Female. | ||
| Buccal cavity | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| Lungs | 24 | 22 | 46 |
| Digestive organs, peritoneum, etc. | 64 | 82 | 146 |
| Female genital organs | - | 22 | 22 |
| Male genito-urinary organs | 24 | - | 24 |
| Breast | - | 34 | 34 |
| Skin | - | 2 | 2 |
| Other and unspecified organs | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| Totals | 132 | 189 | 321 |
The deaths in the several wards, etc., are set out in the following table:—
| The Borough | 321 |
| North Kensington | 152 |
| South Kensington Wards. | 168 |
| St. Charles | 38 |
| Golborne | 30 |
| Norland | 43 |
| Pembridge | 41 |
| Holland | 42 |
| Earl's Court | 40 |
| Queen's Gate | 24 |
| Redcliffe | 41 |
| Brompton | 21 |
| Ward unknown | 1 |
The number of deaths from this disease was 4 more than in the previous year.