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 1940
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Death rate of infants under one year of age:-
| All infants per 1,000 births | 58 | (78) |
| Legitimate infants per 1,000 legitimate live births | 54 | (73) |
| Illegitimate infants per 1,000 illegitimate live births | 95 | (123) |
| Deaths from measles | 3 | (13) |
| Deaths from cancer | 268 | (314) |
| Deaths from whooping cough | Nil | (5) |
| Deaths from diarrhoea (under 2 years of age) | 17 | (55) |
| Deaths from phthisis | 92 | (93) |
| Phthisis death rate | 0.74 | (0.53) |
| Deaths from all forms of tuberculosis | 101 | (106) |
| Tuberculosis death rate | 0.81 | (0.60) |
| Deaths from the zymotic diseases | 26 | (85) |
| Zymotic death rate (Lowest on record) | 0.21 | (0.43) |
Causes of death at different periods of life in 1940.
| Cause of death. | All ages. (1938 figures in brackets) | Under 1 year | 1 year and under 5 | 5 years and under 45 | 45 years and over. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoid | 1 | (1) | — | — | 1 | |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 7 | (1) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Scarlet fever | 1 | (-) | — | — | 1 | — |
| Diphtheria | 4 | (8) | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| Phthisis | 92 | (93) | — | — | 54 | 38 |
| Other forms of tuberculosis | 9 | (13) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Syphilis | 25 | (13) | 1 | — | 2 | 22 |
| Influenza | 37 | (13) | 1 | — | 3 | 33 |
| Measles | 3 | (12) | — | 3 | — | — |
| Whooping Cough | — | (5) | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis | 2 | (-) | — | — | 2 | — |
| Ac. Inf. encephalitis | 4 | (-) | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| Cancer (all forms) | 268 | (314) | — | — | 22 | 246 |
| Diabetes | 24 | (24) | — | — | 3 | 21 |
| Intercranial vascular lesions 178 | (106) | — | 3 | 175 | ||
| Heart disease | 513 | (573) | — | — | 19 | 494 |
| Other diseases of circulatory system | 80 | (125) | 1 | — | 2 | 77 |
| Bronchitis | 140 | (55) | 2 | 1 | — | 137 |
| Pneumonia | 120 | (143) | 19 | 4 | 8 | 89 |
| Other respiratory diseases | 42 | (15) | — | 1 | 3 | 38 |
| Ulcers of stomach | 25 | (15) | — | — | 3 | 22 |
| Diarrhoea (under 2 years) | 17 | (55) | 16 | 1 | — | — |
| Appendititis | 10 | (8) | — | — | 3 | 7 |
| Other digestive diseases | 56 | (58) | 1 | 1 | 7 | 47 |
| Nephritis | 60 | (34) | 1 | — | 5 | 54 |
| Puerperal sepsis | 5 | (2) | — | — | 5 | — |
| Other maternal causes | 2 | (3) | — | — | 2 | — |
| Premature birth | 16 | (66) | 16 | — | — | — |
| Infantile diseases | 24 | 21 | 2 | 1 | — | |
| Suicide | 27 | (24) | — | — | 10 | 17 |
| Poad traffic accidents | 19 | (70) | — | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| Other violent causes | 298 | 3 | 3 | 129 | 163 | |
| All other causes | 160 | (200) | 5 | 3 | 23 | 129 |
| TOTALS | 2269 | (2049) | 90 | 26 | 328 | 1825 |