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 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Mortality
The total death rate at 11.8 per 1,000 population, although slightly higher than the
previous year (11.4) was about the average post-war level. The death rate in London
for the past 10 years, together with that for England and Wales, is shown in Figure 2
below. The area comparability factor for the London death rate (which allows for
the differing sex and age structure in the local population to enable comparison to
be made with the national rate) was 0.98 for 1958, and has never been far from unity
every since its introduction in 1934. The two sets of rates therefore, unlike the birth
rate, are reasonably comparable without further adjustment.
Figure 2
DEATH RATE
LONDON (A.C.) AND ENGLAND & WALES, 1949-58
The leading causes of death in London in 1958 were as follows :
| Cancer | 7,981 | 2.47 |
| Bronchitis, pneumonia* | 5,158 | 1.60 |
| Vascular lesions of the central nervous system | 4,154 | 1.29 |
| Other circulatory | 1,905 | 0.59 |
| Violent causes | 1,616 | 0.50 |
| Digestive diseases | 1,332 | 0.41 |
| Diseases of early infancy (international classification | ||
| Nos. 760-776) | 732 | 0.27 |
| Congenital malformations, 0-4 weeks | 146 | |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 420 | 0.13 |
| All other causes | 3,219 | 1.01 |
| Total | 38,026 | 11.79 |
Leading
causes of
death
* Excluding pneumonia of the new born (under 4 weeks) which is included in ' Diseases of early infancy'
The ranking order of the leading causes of death remains unchanged from 1957.
Heart disease was discussed in detail in my report for 1956; cancer is the second principal
cause, with a rate of 2.47 per 1,000 (the highest ever recorded in peace time).
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