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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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removal of young persons from the civilian population, to which such statistics
relate, by evacuation and mobilisation movements of the war years. Any analysis
of cancer mortality should, therefore, either have specific reference to advanced age
groups or to rates which have been " standardised " for age, i.e., rates which are
still averages over the whole population but averages in which the representation
follows not the actual pattern, disturbed as it is by temporary factors, but a standard
pattern which is kept statistically constant over the period under consideration.
Thus, for England and Wales the crude cancer mortality rates between 1938 and
1945 rose 37 per cent. for males and 7 for females, but the standardised mortality
rates (C.M.I.*) were almost stationary, a smallrise for males and a small fall in females.
The difference between the crude and standardised rates for London, which lost
a large proportion of its population (more young than old) by evacuation would
doubtless be larger but in London age group population estimates were not available
between 1939 and 1946. Age specific rates since 1946 are shown below:—
| Age and Sex | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.88 | |||||
Up to 1949 for England and Wales, the comparative mortality index for females
had fallen to 0.937 (1938 — 1.000) while the male index had risen to 1.063.
In London, for both sexes combined, the long-term trend of cancer mortality
can be seen from Table 3 (page 139). The increase there shown between 1891 and 1940
is due partly to the increasing age of the population and partly to improved diagnosis,
but some part is attributable to increased incidence, e.g., lung cancer.
The important changes in mortality in London between 1931-33 and 1948-50
in relation to certain specific sites are summarised below:—
| Site | Males | Females | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean death-rate 1948-50 per 1,000 | Change between 1931-33 and 1948-50 | Mean death- rate 1948-50 per 1,000 | Change between 1931-33 and 1948-50 | |
There has been a considerable improvement in the mortality from cancer of the
buccal cavity especially in males. It is evident that the increase in respiratory
cancer, however it may be accentuated by improved diagnosis, overshadows all other
changes for both sexes. Since 1931 there had been until recently considerable
increase in male mortality from cancer of the digestive system, but in the last four
* Comparative Mortality Index.
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