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 1944
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| London | New York City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944* | |
| Estimated mid.year population | 2,405,000 | 2,500,600 | 2,462,500 | 7,573,000 | 7,625,000 | 7,677,928 |
| Live birth.rate per 1,000 total population. | 16.9 † | 18.0† | 18.l† | 17.4 | 17.6 | 16.0 |
| All causes death rate per 1,000 total population. | 150 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 10.3 |
| Infant mortality (0.l)per 1,000 live births. | 50 | 51 | 51 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| „ „ (under 1 mth.) „ | 25 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| Maternal mortality „ | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Cerebro spinal fever ... cases | 341 | 231 | 195 | 411 | 1,406 | 1,136 |
| ,, ,, deaths | 46 | 42 | 43 | 84 | 246 | 198 |
| „ „ casemort. % | 13.5 | 18.2 | 22.1 | 20.4 | 17.5 | 17.4 |
| Diphtheria cases | 1,813 | 1,862 | 1,126 | 392 | 274 | 274 |
| „ deaths | 51 | 58 | 38 | 7 | 16 | 7 |
| „ case mort. % | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 5.8 | 2.6 |
| Measles cases | 19,987 | 22,882 | 7,499 | 2,261 | 23,627 | 26,161 |
| „ deaths | 31 | 50 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 21 |
| „ case mort. % | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Poliomyelitis cases „ deaths | 24 | 40 | 18 | 88 | 361 | 1,980 |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 100 | |
| „ case mort. % | 12.5 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 9.1 | 4.4 | 51 |
| Scarlet fever cases | 4,416 | 9,477 | 4,153 | 7,009 | 9,484 | 8,542 |
| „ deaths | 1 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| „ case mort. % | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Typhoid &feparatyphoi cases | 67 | 47 | 38 | 119 | 123 | 133 |
| „ ,, deaths | 5 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| „ „ case mort. % | 7.5 | 21.3 | 10.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 12.8 |
| Whooping.cough .. cases | 6,234 | 6,661 | 7,144 | 9,240 | 3,678 | 2,812 |
| „ ,, deaths | 101 | 84 | 116 | 58 | 43 | 34 |
| „ „ casemort. % | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| All accidents (a) . deaths | 1,215 | 1,132 | 1,202 | 3,778 | 3,969 | 3,268 |
| „ death.rate per 1,000 | 0.51 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 0.50 | 0.52 | 0.43 |
| Motor vehicle accidents deaths | 254 | 192 | 268 | 825 | 732 | 582 |
| „ „ death.rate per 1,000 | 0.11 | 0 .08 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.08 |
| Air.raid casualties deaths | 89 | 517 | 4,567 | — | — | — |
| „ „ . death.rate | 0.04 | 0.21 | 1.85 | — | — | _ |
| Appendicitis „ „ | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Cancer,, „ | 2.40 | 2.46 | 2.35 | 1.72 | 1.73 | 1.77 |
| Diabetes „ „ | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.41 | 0.43 | 0.41 |
| Influenza „ ,, | 0.08 | 0.29 | 0.08 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Pneumonia (all forms) „ „ | 0.86 | 1.04 | 0.87 | 0.39 | 0.51 | 0.45 |
| Suicide „ „ | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.09 |
| Tuberculosis (pulmonary) cases | 4,734 | 5,066 | 5,056 | 9,145 | 8,283 | 7,359 |
| „ „ deaths | 2,164 | 2,204 | 2,073 | 3,228 | 3,343 | 3,256 |
| „ „ death.rate per 1,000 | 0.90 | 0.88 | 0.84 | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.42 |
| „ (other forms) cases | 796 | 782 | 673 | 689 | 667 | 573 |
| „ „ deaths | 283 | 256 | 237 | 274 | 317 | 275 |
| „ „ death.rate per 1,000 | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| „ (all forms) cases | 5,530 | 5,848 | 5,729 | 9,834 | 8,950 | 7,932 |
| „ „ deaths | 2,447 | 2,460 | 2,310 | 3,502 | 3,660 | 3,531 |
| „ „ death.rate per 1,000 | 1.02 | 0.98 | 0.94 | 0.46 | 0.48 | 0.46 |
†Calculated on civil population. Provisional figures,
(a) Including motor vehicle accidents but excluding air.raid casualties.