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3
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER
OF HEALTH FOR 1966
To the Mayor. Aldermen and Councillors
of the London Borough of Wandsworth.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the pleasure of presenting to you the second Annual
report on the health of the London Borough of Wandsworth, for
the year ended 31st December, 1966.
The health of Wandsworth generally remained good within the
limits of current standards and statistical information at present
available to assess the health of the community. The main features,
full details of which are given later, are as follows.
The civilian population of the Borough, as estimated by the
Registrar General was 331,450, a slight decrease over the previous
year. The total number of live births was 6,350 compared with
6,490 for 1965, which gave an adjusted birth rate per 1.000 of the
population of 18.38 compared with 18.77 for 1965. The number
of deaths at all ages was 4,512 as against 4,447 in 1965 and this
gave an adjusted death rate per 1,000 of the population of 11.02,
a slight reduction over the previous year. The total number of
deaths of infants under one year of age was 130, a reduction of
13 over the previous year, on which figure the infant mortality
rate per 1,000 live births was 20.47, a welcome reduction from the
rate of 22.03 for 1965. The perinatal mortality rate, which is
based on the sum of the stillbirths and deaths under one week per
1,000 total live and still births, was 28.81. Last year four women
died from causes associated with childbirth; in 1966 I am happy
to state that only two women died from these causes, which gives
a maternal mortality rate of 0.3 per thousand live and still births.
A detailed breakdown of the causes of death are shown in the
Table on page 12, and here I need only make reference to those
non-infectious causes of death where there is considered to be a
preventable factor. Of these, cancer of the lung which is certainly
associated with prolonged and heavy cigarette smoking caused a
total of 285 deaths as against 238 for 1965. Deaths from bronchitis
numbered 247 as against 243 in 1965 and here again there is a
known link between the chronic form of this disease and heavy
cigarette smoking as well as with atmospheric pollution. Coronary
disease and angina accounted for 758 deaths compared with 804
in 1965 and again, heavy smoking and obesity may well be