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
City of Westminster 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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Twenty-four deaths were those of illegitimate infants. The death-rate of such children is much higher than that of legitimate infants.
| Legitimate. | Illegitimate. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Births. | Deaths. | Percentage. | Births. | Deaths. | Percentage. | |
| 1902 | 3,275 | 410 | 12.5 | 186 | 32 | 17.2 |
| 1903 | 3,035 | 345 | 11.3 | 150 | 25 | 16.6 |
| 1904 | 2,920 | 320 | 10.9 | 134 | 40 | 29.8 |
| 1905 | 2,971 | 305 | 10.2 | 149 | 24 | 16.1 |
| Four years | 12,201 | 1,380 | 11.3 | 619 | 121 | 19.5 |
Causes of death.—These are set forth in Table IX., and also their
distribution in the various Wards of the City. Under most of the
headings there is a decrease over the previous year, but there is an
increase in the number of deaths from measles, scarlet fever, whooping
cough, puerperal fever, and other septic conditions ; syphilis, premature
births, digestive diseases, and various forms of violence.
Cancer.—During the five years 1901-05 there have been 881 deaths from various forms of malignant growth. Divided out into age periods, they group themselves as follows:—
| Age Period. | Number of Deaths. | Rate per 1,000 Living at the Age Period. |
|---|---|---|
| 0—25 years | 8 | 0.02 |
| 25—65 years | 563 | 1.18 |
| 65 and upwards | 310 | 8.82 |
Occupational Mortality.
In Table XI. are shown the causes of death among males and
females engaged in occupation. For males the list is fairly reliable, but
for women it is not so, as the occupation may not be stated in the death
certificate, but wherever it has been given it has been recorded.