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As regards fatal falls, the total of 305 was made up of 117 on the same level, 76 from
one level to another, 39 on stairs, 5 from ladders and 68 unspecified; 240 occurred
to persons aged 65 and over and of these 186 occurred to persons aged 75 and over—
two-thirds being of females.
The bulk (74) of the cases of fatal poisoning were attributed to gas in domestic use,
the next highest cause (22) being barbituric acid and derivatives.
Among the other accidents (248), drowning (58) fire and explosions (52) inhalation
of food or other objects causing obstruction or suffocation (25) and homicide (21) were
the major causes.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The attack rates and death rates of the principal infectious diseases in London are shown
in Tables 3, 4 and 10 (pages 219, 220 and 224): Table 3 shows both types of rates for the
constituent Metropolitan Boroughs in 1954; Table 4 shows death rates since 1901 for
the County as a whole; and Table 10, attack rates for the County since 1934. In order
to preserve uniformity with national statistics the notification figures used in this section
of the report have been corrected as far as possible to take account of changes of diagnosis
made after the original notifications had been received (see footnote to Table 10).
Table 11 (page 225) shows, in age groups, the distribution over the weeks of the year of
the notifications of the following—dysentery, measles, meningococcal infection,
pneumonia, poliomyelitis, scarlet fever and whooping cough. It should be noted that
the totals in this Table, being for 52 weekly periods and not adjusted for final late
corrections of diagnosis, will not correspond with the yearly corrected totals in Table 10.
There was one notification of anthrax during 1954. The person concerned was a
male hide sorter and developed a pustule on the finger which quickly improved under
chemotherapy. Bacteriological examinations were negative and the diagnosis remains
in doubt.
Anthrax
The number of deaths from diarrhoea and enteritis under 2 years of age was 24, this
being the lowest figure ever registered. The number of deaths from this cause was 43
in 1952 and 72 in 1953, the figures in both of these years being increased by the
effects of the fog in December, 1952, which resulted in a successive number of deaths
from enteritis associated with upper respiratory infections. As will be seen from the
diagram set out on page 18, the figure for 1954 is returning towards the point where
it would have been expected if the trend from 1947 to 1951 had continued without the
disruptive influence of the fog.
Diarrhoea
and enteritis
17