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
Islington 1973
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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ANALYSIS OF INFANT DEATHS - 1973
(Based on Registrar General's Returns)
| Primary Cause of Death | Under 1 day | Days | Weeks | Months | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 5-6 | 6-7 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 5-6 | 6-7 | 7-8 | 8-9 | 9-10 | 10-11 | 11-12 | Totals | ||
| Enteritis and other diarrhœal diseases | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Meningococcal infection | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other infective and parasitic diseases. | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Active rheumatic fever | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pneumonia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Diseases of genito-urinary system | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Congenital anomalies | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Difficult delivery and/or anoxic condition | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
| Other causes of perinatal mortality | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| Symptoms and ill-defined conditions | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Motor vehicle accidents | NIL | |||||||||||||||||||||
| All other accidents | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| All other external causes | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 8 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 52 | |||||
Estimated Child Population
| Under 1 year | 1-4 | Total under 5 | 5- 14 | Total under 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islington | 2,600 | 10,000 | 12,600 | 25,600 | 38,200 |
| Greater London | 96,700 | 398,100 | 494,800 | 1,026,400 | 1,521,200 |
Deaths of Infants under One Year
The infant mortality rate shows a considerable increase since 1972 whereas the national rate has
decreased slightly. The increase is due to the fact that although the number of deaths rose by two,
live births in the borough fell by 525.
Respiratory disease still remains the greatest risk to infants from one to twelve months; of a total
of twenty three infant deaths in the age group one to twelve months, seven were due to pneumonia.
Maternal mortality
It is gratifying to note that there were no maternal deaths during 1973.
Respiratory Tuberculosis
I reported last year that the death rate for lung tuberculosis of 0.03 per 1,000 population during
1971 and 1972 was the lowest ever recorded in the borough. Unfortunately, this trend did not
continue in 1973 when the rate was 0.04.
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