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 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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APPENDIX C
ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME
Fatal Accidents
Figures of fatal accidents for England and Wales are published by the Registrar-General
—unfortunately there is no reliable source of information for smaller areas, but there is
no reason to assume that so far as those in the home are concerned London is markedly
different from the rest of the country. The numbers of fatal home accidents by type for
the years 1950 to 1955 inclusive are set out in Table I. In total, deaths have risen from
4,609 to 5,743—a rise of about 25 per cent. This net increase is due to a large proportionate
increase in falls, burns and poisoning by various substances including coal-gas,
which is only partially offset by a small decline in suffocation—deaths from other causes
have fluctuated without revealing any pronounced trend.
Not a lot can be gleaned from the bare facts presented in Table I—the main increase in falls is in the unspecified group; as regards burns there has been since 1952 a sub-analysis as follows:
| Cause | 1952 | Year 1953 | 1954 | 1955 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic fires | 154 | 132 | 162 | 212 |
| Gas fire | 62 | 47 | 52 | 53 |
| Electric fire | 75 | 61 | 92 | 75 |
| Other | 283 | 250 | 263 | 264 |
| Total | 574 | 490 | 569 | 604 |
These figures do not really point to any particular cause but it may reasonably be
assumed, as some half the total number of these accidents each year are caused by fire for
space heating, that the absence of a proper guard must be a factor in many of them.
Home accidents involving poisons or coal-gas poisoning include 'open verdicts' at
coroners' inquests and many of the cases of poisoning may not be truly accidental.
Of the total of 5,743 fatal accidents in the home in 1955 the age and sex distribution was:
| 0- | 5- | 15- | 45- | 65 and over | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 379 | 50 | 184 | 293 | 1,172 | 2,078 |
| Female | 284 | 61 | 130 | 315 | 2,875 | 3,665 |
| Total | 663 | 111 | 314 | 608 | 4,047 | 5,743 |
In terms of numbers about 70 per cent, of the accidents occurred to people over 65
years of age and over two-thirds of these were among women—there are, it is true, more
elderly women than men but not twice as many. Over 11 per cent, of the accidents were
among children under five years of age, and it will be noted that here the majority are
among males.
To make the position clearer the numbers of deaths in the sex and age groups have been set out below in rates per 100,000 population in the respective groups:
| 0- | 5 — | 15- | 45 — | 65 and over | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 2.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5.8 | 1.0 |
| Female | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 9.3 | 1.6 |
| All persons | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 7.9 | 1.3 |
The rates clearly demonstrate that the very young and the very old are the groups
which are most prone to fatal accidents. The higher rate among the older women is
doubtless due in part to the greater age to which they live—often alone.
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