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Mortality from digestive diseases (other than cancer) in 1954 was 0.42 per 1,000,
the same as in 1953. Within this group the death.rate from ulcer of the stomach or
duodenum was 0.16 per 1,000 compared with 0.16 in 1953 and 0.17 in 1952.
Digestive
diseases
Diabetes mortality fell steadily between 1939 and 1948, but in the last five years
the death-rates have been 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, 0.08. As will be seen from Table 4
(page 220) the current figure of 0.06 is lower than that for any quinquennium in the
present century, and is in fact the same as in 1948. At ages under 55, where treatment is
more effective, the number of deaths in 1954 was 22 which compares as follows with
figures for previous years :
Diabetes
1936-38 (mean annual deaths) 86 1949 26
1939-41 ( „ „ „ ) 71 1950 39
1942-44 ( „ „ „ ) 42 1951 34
1945-47 ( „ „ „ ) 31 1952 34
1948 27 1953 20
Heart disease, with a death-rate of 3.22 was still by far the major cause of death
and accounted for nearly one-third of mortality. There was a very slight fall from
the figure of 3.25 in 1953 but it is as yet too early to see whether the figure will stabilise
or whether the increasing trend visible from the beginning of the century until the
war years has been truly put into reverse.
Heart disease
The infant mortality in 1954 was 20.7 per 1,000 live births which compares with
rates of 23.9 in 1953 and 23.1 in 1952. The movements of the death-rates from the
principal diseases at ages below one year since the years 1931-35 are shown in Table 7
(page 223). This table has been expanded to separate the major causes previously linked
together under the heading of congenital malformation, etc. (and also to agree with
the appropriate table in the Annual Report of the Ministry of Health). The diagram on
page 14 illustrates the movements in the more important current causes of death.
Infant
mortality
and neo-natal
mortality
The increase in deaths assigned to congenital malformations and injury at birth
between 1936-40 and 1941-45 is partly attributable to changes in classification following
the adoption of the fifth revision of the International Causes of Death in 1938, and partly,
perhaps, to increased numbers of post-mortem examinations with resultant precision
of certification. Under all the old headings given in the table there has been a pronounced
improvement in mortality rates although in 1953 there was a temporary increase, due
in part to an influenza epidemic in the first quarter of the year and a carry-over into
the early part of the year of the effect of the smog of 1952 on the death-rates from
diarrhoea and enteritis. It is noticeable from the diagram, however, that certain of the
components previously included in the generic heading of congenital malformations
have shown either no improvement, i.e., birth injury, or a worsening, i.e., post-natal
asphyxia and atelectasis, but this somewhat gloomy picture must be looked at in conjunction
with the explanation given at the beginning of the paragraph, and in the light
of the lowest infant mortality on record. The effect of these causes is felt largely in the
first four weeks of life and is dealt with in more detail in the succeeding paragraphs.
Deaths in various periods of the first year of life during 1954 are shown in detail in
Table 6 (page 222). Deaths under four weeks numbered 766 or 15.1 per 1,000 live births
—a new low record. Comparative rates for London and England and Wales in past
years are :
Year(s) London England and Wales
1931-35 25.1 31.4
1936-40 22.9 29.0
1941-45 23.4 25.9
1946-50 18.4 20.9
1951 17.3 18.9
1952 15.8 18.3
1953 16.1 17.7
1954 15.1 17.8
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