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 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table (xii)—
| Cause of death | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whooping cough | 0.17 | 0.08 | 0.27 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.02 | — | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Tuberculosis | 0.08 | 0.04 | 0.14 | 0.08 | — | — | — | — | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Measles | 0.13 | — | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bronchitis and | ||||||||||
| pneumonia | 4.47 | 3.89 | 4.04 | 2.70 | 3.57 | 3.32 | 2.88 | 3.45 | 3.50 | 3.63 |
| Gastro.enteritis | 0.73 | 0.80 | 1.27 | 0.43 | 0.48 | 0.35 | 0.42 | 0.31 | 0.27 | 0.16 |
| Congenital malformations | 3.82 | 3.93 | 3.41 | 3.51 | 3.43 | 3.70 | 3.96 | 4.51 | 4.75 | 4.32 |
| Injury at birth | 2.98 | 2.82 | 2.71 | 2.34 | 2.59 | 2.64 | 2.98 | 2.27 | 2.46 | 2.55 |
| Post.natal asphyxia and | ||||||||||
| atelectasis | 3.82 | 3.50 | 3.90 | 4.06 | 4.32 | 3.66 | 4.17 | 4.08 | 3.59 | 3.63 |
| Haemolytic disease | 0.86 | 0.72 | 0.53 | 0.55 | 0.58 | 0.61 | 0.51 | 0.44 | 0.51 | 0.54 |
| Immaturity | 4.71 | 4.20 | 3.98 | 3.70 | 4.67 | 4.10 | 4.27 | 4.69 | 3.86 | 3.71 |
| Convulsions | — | — | — | 002 | — | 0.02 | — | — | — | — |
| Accidental mechanical | ||||||||||
| suffocation | 0.25 | 0.17 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.23 | 0.13 | 0.16 | 0.09 |
| Other causes | 3.42 | 2.96 | 3.40 | 3.04 | 3.35 | 2.55 | 2.56 | 2.60 | 3.26 | 2.77 |
| All causes | 25 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| Neo.natal mortality | Infant mortality | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | England and Wales | London | England and Wales | |
| Year | ||||
| 1951 | 17.3 | 18.8 | 25.4 | 29.7 |
| 1952 | 15.8 | 18.3 | 23.1 | 27.6 |
| 1953 | 16.1 | 17.7 | 23.9 | 26.8 |
| 1954 | 151 | 17.7 | 20.7 | 25.4 |
| 1955 | 16.7 | 17.3 | 23.2 | 24.9 |
| 1956 | 15.9 | 16.8 | 21.2 | 23.8 |
| 1957 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 22.0 | 2.31 |
| 1958 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 22.5 | 22.5 |
| 1959 | 15.7 | 15.8 | 22.4 | 22.2 |
| 1960 | 15.4 | 15.6 | 21.5 | 21.7 |
As regards ne..natal mortality there were in London 886 deaths: of this number 528
occurred in premature infants. An analysis of the total number of premature births by
birth weight and mortality is shown in the following table. Corresponding figures of
domiciliary confinements are shown in the section on domiciliary midwifery on page
66.
Table (xiii)—
| Weight | Number | Proportion per 100 live premature infants | Died within 24 hours | Survived 28 days | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Per 100 live premature infants | Number | Per 100 live premature infants | |||
| 3 lb. 4 oz. or less | 443 | 10.5 | 195 | 44.0 | 161 | 36.3 |
| 3 lb. 5 oz. to 4 lb. 6 oz. | 735 | 17.3 | 63 | 8.6 | 616 | 83.8 |
| 41b. 7oz. to41b. 15oz. | 920 | 21.7 | 35 | 3.8 | 849 | 92.3 |
| 5 lb. 0 oz. to 5 lb. 8 oz. | 2,139 | 50.5 | 30 | 1.4 | 2,083 | 97.4 |
| All premature babies | 4,237 | 100.0 | 323 | 8.8 | 3,709 | 87.5 |
17
B*