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Infant
mortality.
2
The death-rates from all causes and from certain specified causes in each
metropolitan borough in 1931 and in London as a whole in 1931 and earlier
years will be found in the tables on pages 6 and 8.
The deaths under one year of age per thousand births were 65, this rate being
somewhat higher than the exceptionally low rate of the preceding year.
It will
be seen from the following table that one of the chief causes of the increase upon
the figure for 1930 was the higher mortality from respiratory diseases.
Cause of death.
1911
to
1914.
1915
to
1918.
1919
to
1922.
1923
to
1926.
1927
to
1930.
1927.
1928.
1929.
1930.
1931.
Measles
3.40
3.84
1.64
2.02
2.07
0.63
3.93
0.61
3.12
0.44
Whooping-cough
3.63
4.45
2.50
2.60
3.14
3.08
2.45
6.15
0.89
2.15
Influenza
0.27
1.10
0.81
0.38
0.48
0.46
0.23
0.96
0.26
0.46
Tuberculosis
3.40
3.20
1.52
1.26
0.89
1.05
0.95
0.77
0.79
0.70
Bronchitis
6.41
6.72
4.42
2.91
2.30
2.12
2.56
2.87
1.66
2.56
Pneumonia
12.28
14.96
12.60
11.51
12.10
11.37
13.03
14.15
9.85
13.90
Diarrhoea
24.28
16.10
12.16
9.36
8.87
6.97
9.52
9.93
9.07
8.94
Premature birth
18.16
17.42
17.00
14.74
14.17
13.94
14.22
14.81
13.71
15.24
Congenital defects
14.69
14.66
11.26
8.39
7.38
7.17
7.60
7.65
7.11
6.65
All causes
108
103
79
65
64
59
67
71
59
65
Infectious Diseases.
The notifications, attack-rates and death-rates for the principal infectious diseases
in London in 1931 and earlier years are shown in the tables on pages 6 to 9,
and the constituent metropolitan boroughs in 1931 in the table on page 6.
Two cases of anthrax were notified during the year, in the boroughs of
Camberwell and Paddington respectively. The first case, a male, aged 23, was engaged
in the business of broom and brush maker, and was probably infected by bristles,
used in the business, which were imported from Russia, China and Germany. The
second was a female, aged 71, of no occupation. The source of infection was not
traced. The patients were treated with anti-anthrax serum at King's College
hospital and a nursing home respectivelv. and made food recoveries.
Anthrax.
Smallpox and
Chickenpox.
The mild type of smallpox, which has been prevalent in London since 1928,
abated during the year, when there were 1,452 cases compared with 5,149 in the
year 1930. The subjoined table shows the notified cases which occurred during the
year. It will be observed that whilst the disease was most prevalent in the eastern
districts. Lambeth and Camberwell in the south were centres of heavy infection.
Metropolitan Borough.
Number of
notifications.
West—
1931
1930
Metropolitan Borough.
Number of
notifications.
East—
1931
1930
Paddington — 3
Kensington 2 4
Hammersmith 49 21
Fulham — 7
Chelsea — —
Westminster 2 3
North—
St. Marylebone 2 6
Hampstead — 3
St. Pancras 4 175
Islington 66 242
Stoke Newington 1 29
Hackney 43 493
Central—
Holborn 3 14
Finsbury 89 193
City of London 1 11
Shoreditch 122 788
Bethnal Green 145 951
Stepney 352 958
Poplar 101 631
South—
Southwark 31 104
Bermondsey 3 47
Lambeth 256 46
Battersea 3 9
Wandsworth 5 8
Camberwell 116 306
Deptford 37 48
Greenwich 9 28
Lewisham 7 11
Woolwich 3 10
Total 1,452 5,149