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Disease was the most prominent member (490 deaths): the
majority of deaths in this group occurred over 65 years of age.
Rheumatism in childhood is indubitably a cause of cardiac breakdown
later on in life, more particularly if the original attack of
rheumatism has been missed or disregarded.
Arterio-sclerosis (124 deaths) is the second big cause of death in
this group. This is a thickening, and diminution in the elasticity,
of the walls of the arteries and is an expression either of prolonged
stress or unwise living which, if continued, leads to a final rupture
of the walls of the vessel—most often in the brain—leading to
Cerebral Haemorrhage, which caused, incidentally, 151 deaths.
Arterio-sclerosis and Cerebral Haemorrhage between them caused
275 deaths.
Influenza was the most fatal infectious disease; the majority
of deaths occuring over 65 years of age. Whooping Cough came
second. All the deaths except one being in children under 15 years
of age.
POPULATION.
Explanation of Graphs.
The estimated population is shown by a continuous black line
from 1860 onwards, the letter C denoting a census year. In 1860
Croydon's population was a little over 30,000; in 1931 the census
showed it to have risen to 233,115. The growth of Croydon has
been rapid and continuous; even during the war years the increase
was not arrested, whilst since the war its growth has been even
more rapid. Such an increase of population gives rise to problems
of its own from Public Health aspects; additionally inhabitants do
not always appreciate that within a space of 60 years their town
has grown from a village to one of the great and important centres
of England. With the extension of civil aviation, Croydon's importance
is likely to become greater each year. The trend of
industrialism to the south is also exerting a prominent influence.