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 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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19
While the fall in the deaths of children under 1 year has been well
maintained since 1932, the remarkable reduction in deaths among the
"toddler" groups (1 to 2 years and 2 to 5 years) gives ground for
satisfaction and this improvement is continued until school leaving age.
In fact the only increase in the number of deaths is in the 65 years and
over groups which means that survival is somewhat longer in 1935 than
in 1934.
The causes of death are set out in Table VIII. There was a slight
increase among males of deaths from the following causes:—cancer,
general paralysis and diseases of the urinary, circulatory and
respiratory systems.
Among females the causes showing an increase were influenza,
suicide and murder, and diseases of the circulatory and respiratory
systems.
The distribution of deaths in the various wards of the City are
shown in the following table, and may be compared with the similar
figures during the four preceding years:—
Table XI.—Deaths According to Wards.
| — | 1931. | 1932. | 1933. | 1934. | 1935. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m. | f. | Total. | m. | Total. | m. | f. | Total | m. | f. | Total. | m. | f. | Total. | ||
| Conduit | 7 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 6 | _ | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| Grosvenor | 64 | 58 | 122 | 55 | 63 | 118 | 86 | 55 | 141 | 64 | 61 | 125 | 61 | 57 | 118 |
| Hamlet | 19 | 24 | 43 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 14 | 30 | 44 |
| K. St. George | 60 | 67 | 127 | 67 | 70 | 137 | 67 | 65 | 132 | 60 | 61 | 121 | 45 | 70 | 115 |
| Victoria | 234 | 259 | 493 | 214 | 244 | 458 | 212 | 230 | 442 | 224 | 235 | 459 | 226 | 240 | 466 |
| St. Margaret | 28 | 49 | 77 | 38 | 50 | 88 | 39 | 39 | 78 | 43 | 40 | 83 | 39 | 34 | 73 |
| St. John | 219 | 187 | 406 | 226 | 179 | 405 | 235 | 167 | 402 | 183 | 144 | 327 | 190 | 147 | 337 |
| St. Anne | 38 | 25 | 63 | 32 | 21 | 53 | 28 | 31 | 59 | 27 | 34 | 61 | 24 | 31 | 55 |
| Gt. Marlborough | 11 | 11 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 11 | 7 | 18 |
| Pall Mall | 23 | 6 | 29 | 23 | 10 | 33 | 20 | 3 | 23 | 22 | 10 | 32 | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| Regent | 23 | 28 | 51 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 31 | 20 | 51 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 21 | 19 | 40 |
| Charing Cross | 22 | 6 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 11 | 31 | 17 | 5 | 22 | 19 | 6 | 25 |
| Covent Garden | 42 | 24 | 66 | 36 | 26 | 62 | 41 | 33 | 74 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 24 | 23 | 47 |
| Strand | 28 | 2 | 30 | 36 | – | 36 | 32 | 3 | 35 | 32 | 3 | 35 | 28 | 5 | 33 |
| Homeless | 25 | 11 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 28 | 5 | 33 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 16 | 11 | 27 |
Infantile Mortality.—The corrected death-rate of infants for Westminster
was 72 per 1,000 births. The mortality among legitimate
infants was 59.1 per 1,000; that of illegitimate 162.7. The infant
mortality rate for London was 58.
The number of infants dying under 1 year was 75, a decrease of 2 on
the figure of last year. The chief contributory causes of death were
accidents and negligence, broncho-pneumonia, prematurity, and gastroenteritis.