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REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR 1955 3
I should, however, like to make a little further reference to deaths
from heart disease. It will be noticed that while most of these
deaths occurred in people over 65 years of age, quite a proportion
occurred in the age group 45/65 which many would consider to be
the most important and vital period in the life of the average man
or woman.
Much attention has been paid in recent years to the so-called
"stress" diseases as a public health problem. One does not wish to
be technical in a report of this type, but by "stress" diseases is
generally meant such conditions as high blood pressure (hypertension)
and diseases of the heart blood vessels (coronary arterial
disease) which are in some ways thought to be possibly associated
with the stresses and strains of modern urban civilization. Certain it
is that coronary arterial disease, for instance, has now to be reckoned
with as an important cause of death in men and to a lesser extent in
women, in the most productive period of life. To throw more light
on this as it affects the local inhabitants in Wandsworth, I have
prepared table 3a on page 13 which shows the deaths from coronary
arterial disease and hypertension in males and females under age
groups. Dealing here with coronary arterial disease, it will be seen
that between the ages of 15 and 65 in men there were 134 deaths
from this condition and of these 124 occurred in the age group 45/65.
In women, the deaths were much fewer, there being only 36 deaths
from this condition between the ages 45/65. As I have said the age
group 45/65 is a most important, probably the most important
period, from the economic, the social, and the productive points of
view. It is difficult to say immediately how this problem can be
tackled from a public health angle or by Public Health Departments
as they now exist. The causes of this predominance in men can be
little more than a matter for conjecture but it is at least possible that
there are social and environmental conditions to account for the
considerable preponderance of deaths from this disease in this age
group in men. A good deal of thought has been given to the matter
and it does seem that if public health departments are to carry out
their primary function of safeguarding the health and well-being of