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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table (viii)—
| Cause of death | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whooping cough | 0.08 | 0.27 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.02 | - | 0.05 | 0.05 | - |
| Tuberculosis | 0.04 | 0.14 | 0.08 | — | — | — | — | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Measles | — | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.10 | — | — | — | — | - | 0.03 |
| Bronchitis and pneumonia | 3.89 | 4.04 | 2.70 | 3.57 | 3.32 | 2.88 | 3.45 | 3.50 | 3.63 | 3.18 |
| Gastro-enteritis | 0.80 | 1.27 | 0.43 | 0.48 | 0.35 | 0.42 | 0.31 | 0.27 | 0.16 | 0.30 |
| Congenital malformations | 3.93 | 3.41 | 3.51 | 3.43 | 3.70 | 3.96 | 4.51 | 4.75 | 4.32 | 3.94 |
| Injury at birth | 2.82 | 2.71 | 2.34 | 2.59 | 2.64 | 2.98 | 2.27 | 2.46 | 2.55 | 2.81 |
| Post-natal asphyxia and atelectasis | 3.50 | 3.90 | 4.06 | 4.32 | 3.66 | 4.17 | 4.08 | 3.59 | 3.63 | 3.61 |
| Haemolytic disease | 0.72 | 0.53 | 0.55 | 0.58 | 0.61 | 0.51 | 0.44 | 0.51 | 0.54 | 0.37 |
| Immaturity | 4.20 | 3.98 | 3.70 | 4.67 | 4.10 | 4.27 | 4.69 | 3.86 | 3.71 | 3.85 |
| Convulsions | — | — | 0.02 | — | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Accidental mechanical suffocation | 0.17 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.23 | 0.13 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 0.13 |
| Other causes | 2.96 | 3.40 | 3.04 | 3.35 | 2.55 | 2.56 | 2.60 | 3.26 | 2.77 | 3.10 |
| All causes | 23 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| Year | (Rates per 1,000 live births) Neo-natal mortality | Infant mortality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | England and Wales | London | England and Wales | |
| 1952 | 15.8 | 18.3 | 23.1 | 27.6 |
| 1953 | 16.1 | 17.7 | 23.9 | 26.8 |
| 1954 | 15.1 | 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 | 23.1 |
| 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 |
| 1961 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 21.4 | 21.6 |
As regards neo-natal mortality there were 953 deaths in London; of this number 597
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 53.
Table (ix)—
| 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 | 614 | 13.3 | 235 | 38.3 | 271 | 44.1 |
| 3 lb. 5 oz. to 4 lb. 6 oz. | 811 | 17.5 | 73 | 9.0 | 671 | 82.7 |
| 4 lb. 7 oz. to 4 lb. 15 oz. | 945 | 20.4 | 20 | 2.1 | 896 | 94.8 |
| 5 lb. 0 oz. to 5 lb. 8 oz. | 2,263 | 48.8 | 24 | 1.1 | 2,198 | 97.1 |
| All premature babies | 4,633 | 100.0 | 352 | 7.6 | 4,036 | 87.1 |