London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
The distribution of deaths by ages in 1932 and recent preceding periods is shown in the following table:—
| Period. | 0- | 1- | 2- | 5- | 10- | 15- | 20- | 25- | 35- | 45- | 55- | 65+ | All ages. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
It will be seen that the deaths in 1932 were less by 677 than in 1931.
The epidemic prevalence of measles during the year caused 822 deaths, an increase
of 707 from this cause over that of the preceding year, but this increase was set
off by a decline in the mortality from most other causes of death. It is, however,
noteworthy that there was an appreciable increase in the deaths from almost every
infectious disease.
A comparison of the number of suicides in the years 1920-22 with that in the
years 1930-32 shows an increase at all periods of life.
The number of deaths due to street accidents showed that the decline, noted
last year, still continues, there being 683 deaths in the 52 weeks of this year compared
with 731 deaths in the corresponding period of last year. Compared with the years
1920-22, the deaths from this cause in 1930-32 have increased by nearly 100
per cent. at all other ages than between 5 and 15 years. As the result of special
provision for the safety of school children the increase at this age is only about
20 per cent.
The death-rates from all causes and from certain specified causes in each
metropolitan borough in 1932 and in London as a whole in 1932 and earlier
years will be found in the tables on pages 14 and 16.
Infant
mortality.
The deaths under one year of age per thousand births were 67 as compared with
65 in the preceding year.
It will be seen from the following table that one of the principal causes of the slight increase on the figures for 1931 was the increased mortality from diarrhoea, associated with the heat wave during August:—
| Cause of death. | 1911 to 1914. | 1915 to 1918. | 1919 to 1922. | 1923 to 1926. | 1927 to 1930. | 1928. | 1929. | 1930. | 1931. | 1932. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Infectious Diseases.
The notifications, attack-rates and death-rates of the principal infectious diseases
in London in 1932 and earlier years are shown in the tables on pages 14 to 17, and for
the constituent metropolitan boroughs in 1932 in the table on page 14.
Anthrax.
During the year one case of anthrax was notified in each of the boroughs of
Stepney, Lambeth and Shoreditch. The case in Stepney, a male aged 38, was
admitted to the Council's St. George-in-the-East hospital on 15th May and died the