Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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4
Births
The live births allocated to London during 1944 numbered 44,554 compared
with 45,030 in the preceding year. The live.birth rate was 18.1 per thousand, the
rate for 1943 being 18.0.
Deaths
The deaths in the civil population of London during 1944 numbered 41,077,
giving a death.rate of 16.7 per thousand, compared with 15.7 in 1943. Of the
total deaths, 19,643, or 47.8 per cent., were among females.
Street
accidents
There were 268 deaths from street accidents. A comparison of the age distribution of deaths from this cause in each of the last six years is given in the following table:—
Year (a) | Age group | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.5 | 5.15 | 15.4 5 | 45.65 | 65 + | All ages | |
1939 | 14 | 49 | 128 | 134 | 194 | 519 |
1940 | 24 | 32 | 144 | 144 | 199 | 543 |
1941 | 11 | 28 | 77 | 116 | 141 | 373 |
1942 | 14 | 32 | 66 | 75 | 99 | 286 |
1943 | 9 | 28 | 47 | 66 | 79 | 229 |
1944 | 13 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 103 | 268 |
(a) 1939 = 52 weeks. 1940.1944 = calendar years.
The death.rates from all causes and from certain specified causes in each metropolitan
borough in 1944 and in London as a whole in 1944 and preceding years will
be found in the tables on pages 9 and 10.
Infant
mortality
The deaths under one year of age per thousand live births were 51, as in the
preceding year.
The movements of the death.rates from the principal diseases at ages below one year since 1910 are shown in the following table:—
Cause of death | 1911 to 1914 | 1915 to 1918 | 1919 to 1922 | 1923 to 1926 | 1927 to 1930 | 1931 to 1934 | 1935 to 1938 | 1939 to 1942 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Measles | 3.40 | 3.84 | 1.64 | 2.02 | 2.07 | 1.44 | 0.95 | 0.21 | 0.20 | 0.51 | 0.09 |
Whooping.cough | 3.63 | 4.45 | 2.50 | 2.60 | 3.14 | 2.27 | 2.01 | 1.33 | 1.48 | 115 | 2.13 |
Influenza | 0.27 | M0 | 0.81 | 0.38 | 0.48 | 0.40 | 0.24 | 0.36 | 0.30 | 0.44 | 0.27 |
Tuberculosis | 3.40 | 3.20 | 1.52 | 1.26 | 0.89 | 0.77 | 0.56 | 0.59 | 0.52 | 0.53 | 0.22 |
Bronchitis | 6.41 | 6.72 | 4.42 | 2.91 | 2.30 | 2.16 | 1.97 | 1.69 | 2.19 | 1.67 | 1.39 |
Pneumonia | 12.28 | 14.96 | 12.60 | 11.51 | 12.10 | 11.45 | 10.39 | 7.13 | 7.43 | 8.04 | 7.45 |
Diarrhoea | 24.28 | 16.10 | 12.16 | 9.36 | 8.87 | 10.86 | 12.10 | 6.49 | 7.67 | 9.44 | 9.02 |
Premature birth | 1816 | 17.42 | 17.00 | 14.74 | 14.17 | 14.91 | 13.41 | 11.67 | 13.50 | 11.66 | 12.03 |
Congenitaldefects | 14.69 | 14.66 | 11.26 | 8.39 | 7.38 | 7.22 | 6.35 | 9.41 | 11.54 | 11.44 | 10.10 |
Other causes | 21.48 | 20.55 | 15.09 | 11.83 | 12.60 | 13.52 | 12.30 | 7.59 | 5.24 | 5.84 | 7.79 |
All causes | 108 | 103 | 79 | 65 | 64 | 65 | 60 | 46 | 50 | 51 | 51 |
Infectious diseases
The attack.rates and death.rates of the principal infectious diseases in London
during 1944 and earlier years and for the constituent metropolitan boroughs in 1944
are shown in the table on page 9.
Anthrax
No case of anthrax was notified during the year.
Measles
During 1944, 7,499 cases of measles were notified, compared with 22,882 in
1943, the attack.rate being 3.05 per thousand against 9.18 in 1943. The deaths
numbered 7, giving a death.rate of .00 per thousand and a case.mortality of .1
per cent.
The rates for 1943 were .0.2 and .0 respectively.
The death-rates in London and England and Wales in recent years are shown
in the following table:—