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
London County Council 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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7
The deaths in the total population of London during 1937 numbered 51,277, Deaths
giving a death.rate of 12.5 per thousand, compared with 12.3 in 1936. Of the
total deaths 25,369, or 49.5 per cent., were among females.
The distribution of deaths by ages in 1937 and recent preceding periods is shown in the following table :– Table 3
| Period | 0. | 1. | 2. | 5. | 10. | 15. | 20. | 25. | 35. | 45. | 55. | 65+ | All ages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919.22 | Annual average. | 7,836 | 2,131 | 1,919 | 1,376 | 853 | 1,175 | 1,318 | 3,103 | 4,238 | 6,414 | 8,265 | 19,828 | 58,456 |
| 1923.26 | 5,546 | 1,611 | 1,453 | 828 | 637 | 1,013 | 1,220 | 2,479 | 3,659 | 6,080 | 8,456 | 21,004 | 53,986 | |
| 1927.30 | 4,585 | 1,396 | 1,152 | 818 | 490 | 1,009 | 1,245 | 2,414 | 3,444 | 6,195 | 9,200 | 23,788 | 55,736 | |
| 1931.34 | 3,906 | 915 | 841 | 669 | 477 | 809 | 1,182 | 2,320 | 2,891 | 5,554 | 8,968 | 24,756 | 53,288 | |
| 1932 | ... | 4,143 | 1,084 | 960 | 641 | 453 | 847 | 1,195 | 2,291 | 2,897 | 5,429 | 8,793 | 24,878 | 53,611 |
| 1933 | ... | 3,377 | 680 | 728 | 698 | 518 | 728 | 1,193 | 2,468 | 3,008 | 5,832 | 9.110 | 25,196 | 53,536 |
| 1934 | ... | 3,832 | 1,036 | 957 | 715 | 475 | 707 | 1,094 | 2,167 | 2,606 | 5,160 | 8,921 | 24,047 | 51,717 |
| 1935 | ... | 3.229 | 365 | 436 | 466 | 385 | 569 | 987 | 1,986 | 2,413 | 4,722 | 8,400 | 23,889 | 47,847 |
| 1936 | ... | 3,691 | 738 | 661 | 466 | 309 | 577 | 964 | 1,930 | 2,473 | 4,932 | 8,720 | 25,681 | 51,142 |
| 1937 | ... | 3,309 | 457 | 411 | 379 | 303 | 584 | 888 | 1,976 | 2,474 | 5,029 | 8,997 | 26,470 | 51,277 |
During the period to which the figures in the first four lines of this table relate,
sthe deaths among infants under one year of age are shown to have fallen by more
than 50 per cent., the chief factor in this decline being the decrease in the birth.rate.
At the other extreme of life it will be seen that the deaths have increased by about
25 per cent, after 65 years of agev Here the increase is due not to increased death.
rate but to the increase in population at these ages.
Street
accidents
There was a slight decrease in the number of fatal street accidents–from 541
in 1936 (53 weeks) to 520 in 1937 (52 weeks). A comparison of the age distribution
for the two years is given in the following table:–
Table 4–County of London–Deaths from street accidents
| Year | Age group | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 5.15 | 15.25 | 25.45 | 45.65 | 65 + | All ages | |
| 1936 (53 weeks) | 18 | 73 | 73 | 94 | 113 | 170 | 541 |
| 1937 (52 weeks | 12 | 71 | 93 | 78 | 125 | 141 | 520 |
| Adjusted increase (+ ) or decrease ( –) per cent. | –32.0 | –0.9 | + 29.9 | –15.4 | + 12.7 | –15.5 | –2.03 |
The death.rates from all causes and from certain specified causes in each metropolitan
borough in 1937 and in London as a whole in 1937 and earlier years will be
found in tables 34 and 36.
The deaths from the principal causes by age and sex during 1937 in London
are shown in table 35.
Infant
mortality
/. The deaths under one year of age per thousand live.births were 60, compared
with 66 in the preceding year. This is slightly above the lowest rate hitherto
recorded of 58 in 1935, and a comparison of the figures in table 5 below shows that the
excess in 1937 over the record year 1935 is accounted for by the increase in mortality
from pneumonia, associated with the winter prevalence of influenza and from
summer diarrhœa.