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
Croydon 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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28
1934 showed a decrease in the general death.rate, a stationary
birth.rate and a further decline in the infant mortality
rate, which reached the lowest yet recorded in Croydon.
In view of the decreasing birth.rate, the average age of the whole
population is steadily rising; consequently, sooner or later there
will be an increase in the death.rate quite apart from Public
Health conditions. It would seem this point has been reached,
and any further decline in the death.rate is not to be expected.
Causes of Death.
The chief causes of death during 1934 were:—Organic heart
disease, 591 deaths, death.raite 2.46; Cancer, 371 deaths, death.rate
1.54; All forms of Tuberculosis, 157 deaths, death.rate 0.65;
Pneumonia (including influenzal pneumonia), 212 deaths, death.
rate 0.88; Arterio Sclerosis and Cerebral Haemorrhage, 233 deaths,
death.rate 0.97.
Taking diseases of bodily systems and group diseases to which deaths were definitely assigned we find:—
| Circulatory System (including Atheroma | per 1,000 population. | |
|---|---|---|
| and Cerebral Haemorrhage) | 853 | or 3.54 |
| Cancer | 371 | 1.54 |
| Respiratory System (not Tubercular) | 316 | 1.31 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 157 | 0.65 |
| Diseases of the Digestive System (excluding Cancer and Tuberculosis) | 150 | 0.62 |
| Diseases of the Nervous System (not Tubercular | 127 | 0.53 |
| Diseases of Renal System | 112 | 0.46 |
| Infectious Diseases (excluding Tuberculosis but including Influenza) | 84 | 0.35 |
| Suicides and Violent Deaths | 128 | 0.53 |
| Old Age | 78 | 0.32 |
| Congenital Debility and Prematurity | 67 | 0.28 |
The greatest single group of causes of death as in 1933 was
diseases of the Circulatory system, and of this group Organic Heart
Disease was the most prominent member (591 deaths). Rheumatism
in childhood is indubitably a cause of cardiac breakdown later
in life, more particularly if the original attack of rheumatism.
has been overlooked or disregarded.