London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Greenwich 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
Greenwich deaths from tuberculosis for the previous ten years are given, with their appropriate rates, in the following table:
| Year | No. of Deaths | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 35 | 0.39 | |
| 1952 | 32 | 0.35 | |
| 1953 | 18 | 0.19 | |
| 1954 | 15 | 0.16 | |
| 1955 | 8 | 0.08 | |
| 1956 | 13 | 0.14 | |
| 1957 | 8 | 0.09 | |
| 1958 | 7 | 0.07 | |
| 1959 | 14 | 0.15 | |
| 1960 | 4 | 0.04 | |
| 10-year average | 15 | 0.16 | |
| 1961 | 7 | 0.08 | |
Tuberculosis of the Respiratory System was responsible for
6 of the deaths in this category, only one death being attributed
to the remaining forms of tuberculosis.
At 0.07, the Pulmonary Tuberculosis rate was 0.03 higher than
that returned for last year.
Cancer.—In Greenwich, cancer was responsible for a total of
203 deaths giving a rate of 2.39 per thousand population compared
with figures of 209 and 2.37 respectively for the previous year. It
accounted for 21.9% of all registered deaths, a percentage over
five times that returned for 1901, viz. 4.2%, and indicates that
approximately one in every five deaths resulted from cancer of
one form or another. The present total of 203 is 14% higher than
the average for the past ten years.
Comparing the current year's figures with those of the previous 5 years, the sites of the affected parts were:—
| 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer of Stomach | 20 | 23 | 14 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| „ „ Lung, Bronchus | 58 | 46 | 44 | 50 | 63 | 48 |
| „ „ Breast | 13 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| „ „ Uterus | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 7 |
| „ „ all Other Sites | 90 | 98 | 95 | 80 | 94 | 105 |
| Totals | 187 | 187 | 179 | 172 | 209 | 203 |
Lung Cancer.—Throughout the country in recent years there
has been a tendency for cancer of the lung to increase and the