View report page

17
Coronary disease
I have referred at considerable length to this condition in previous
reports. Active research is progressing and increasing, particularly with
regard to the dietary factor (see p.16 of the 1955 annual report). The
following table brings the Lewisham figures up to date.
Table 9

means figure not available. *R.G. Code Nos. 19 and 20. †R.G. Code No. 21.
Sex incidence in pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer
The large table on General Statistics from 1901 (p.18) shows an
almost stable rate of notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis (male and
female combined) from the time the disease became first notifiable in 1912,
to about 1930. There was then a very gradual decrease in the rate (with
one or two exceptions) until 1941 when, possibly due to the difficulties
associated with the war years, the rate increased to as high as it has ever
been and remained up until 1950. It then decreased again, more particularly
in the last two or three years, falling below 100 per 100,000
population for the first time in 1956 and again being fractionally below
(99.6) in 1957.
The death rate from pulmonary tuberculosis (male and female
combined) has been recorded locally for a rather longer period—from
1901 onwards. During a great part of this time it ran roughly parallel
to the notification rate, remaining fairly high until about 1930, dropping
a little up to the war and increasing again then. In contradistinction however
to the notification rate, which showed an increase until well after
the war, the death rate began declining about 1945 (when it was 71
per 100,000 population) and this decline was very rapid until 1952 when
it reached 15 and has remained at much that figure since then. In other
Continued on p. 20