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 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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-42-
This problem has been receiving close attention from
statisticians and scientific investigators, and although no
hopeful discovery in the fields of prevention or treatment
has been made, the following information has so far emerged:-
During the past quarter of a century, the annual number
of deaths from cancer of the lung has increased roughly
fifteenfold.
Malignant disease of the lung affects males more than females, the mortality figures for the past three decades being-
| Males | Females | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 1920 | 309 | 191 |
| 1930 | 1,056 | 433 | |
| 1940 | 3,749 | 1,066 | |
| 1950 | 10,254 | 1,987 |
Above the age of 45, the risk of developing the disease
increases in simple proportion with the amount smoked and
may be approximately fifty times as great among those who
smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day as among non-smokers.
Cigarette smoking appears to be more closely related than
pipe smoking to lung cancer, but surprisingly no association
has been found with inhaling.
The incidence appears to be greater among those living
in densely populated areas-particularly those where
atmospheric pollution is heavy-than among those living
in country districts.
Whooping Cough
Four hundred and eighty-four cases were notified
during the year, thirty-two of which were treated in hospital.
One death occurred from this disease.
Notifications
The following tables show (1) the number of cases of
infectious disease notified during the year 1951, with
comparative figures for the previous seven years; (2) the
number of notifications divided into age groups; and (3)
the number of cases notified in each ward of the borough.