London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Beckenham 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Beckenham]

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VITAL STATISTICS
BIRTH RATE.
After allowing for inward and outward transfers during the year,
the Registrar General gave a figure of 891 live births and 40 stillbirths
in 1938, and this gives a live birth rate of 12.622 compared
with 13.365 in 1937.
The provisional rate for England and Wales for 1938 was 15.1
DEATH RATE.
There were 590 deaths during the year amongst residents, and
this gives a death rate of 8.358 per 1,000, as compared with 8.924 in
1937. This figure, although uncorrected for age and sex distribution,
compares favourably with the rate of 11.6 for England and Wales in
1938, and when corrected by the application of the " Comparability
Factor "supplied by the Registrar General, the figure is reduced to
8.190, which is a very low figure.
The causes of death and the ages at death are shown in Table
'A,' and a table showing how the Beckenham figures compare with
those for England and Wales appears on page 7.
CANCER DEATH RATE.
The number of deaths from Cancer is 96, and the rate for 1938
of 1.359 compares with a rate of 1.307 for 1937.
HEART DISEASE.
The causes of deaths classed under the heading Heart Disease
are numerous. The total of 159 deaths includes arterio sclerosis,
rheumalic fever, and many deaths due to degenerative changes
involving the heart muscle, and due to old age and not to disease.
TUBERCULOSIS DEATH RATE.
The number of deaths from all forms of Tuberculosis was 25,
and the death rate of 0.354 compares with 0.488 in 1937. 22 deaths
were due to pulmonary tuberculosis, and 3 to other forms. A table
showing the ages at death and the ward distribution appears on
page 35.
ZYMOTIC DEATH RATE.
The deaths from Zymotice diseases totalled 3 : 1 from Infantile
Diarrhœa; 2 from Diphtheria. The rate of 0.042 compares with
0.071 in 1937, when there were 5 deaths.
6