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
Marylebone 1915
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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12
Despite the fact that there seemed every reason for expecting an increase, the
figure given is lower than that for 1914 by 2.5 per 1,000.
This is exceedingly gratifying, particularly, as is shown on the accompanying
chart, it brings the curve nearer to the line of fall commenced in 1912.
So far as the distribution of the deaths in relation to districts, to age at death,
and to causation is concerned, the following tables give very full information :—
TABLE III.
| Sub-District. | Under i week | i and Under 2 weeks | 2 and Under 3 weeks | 3 and Under 4 weeks | 4 weeks and Under 3 m'ths. | 3 m'ths and Under 6 m'ths. | 6 m'ths and Under 9 m'ths. | 9 m'ths and Under 12 m'ths. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Souls | 5 | 2 | - | - | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
| St. Mary | 10 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 35 |
| Christ Church | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 22 | 94 |
| St. John | 5 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 28 |
| Totals | 28 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 40 | 25 | 86 | 178 |
Table III. shows Christ Church to be again at the head of the list. The
reasons why it should occupy this position have been so often noted that it is
unnecessary to repeat them.
Table IV. analyses the causes of death in relation to age and district, and, as in
previous years, prematurity, diarrhoea and enteritis and respiratory diseases are again
the main causes.
Prematurity (numbers 12, 13 and 14 in the table) which caused 69 or 32 per
cent. of the total in 1914, in 1915 took 51 or 28.6 per cent.; diarrhoea and enteritis
(7 and 8) accounted for 30 or 14 per cent. in 1914 and for 31 or 17.4 per cent. in 1915,
while respiratory diseases took 29 or 13'8 per cent. in 1914 and in 1915 28 or
15.4 per cent.
Amongst the other causes of death, mention may be made of the commoner
infectious diseases, which together led to 16 deaths amongst infants (9 per cent. of
the total). Of the 16.5 were due to whooping cough and 10 to measles. Injury at
birth accounted for 1 death: the smallest number for several years.
Some form of tuberculosis was given as the cause in 4 instances, and in 6
convulsions.
Overlying was stated to be responsible in 5 cases as against 2 in 1914. Three
of the victims were aged under one month at the time of death.