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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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Taking diseases of bodily systems and group diseases to which deaths were definitely assigned by the Registrar General, we find:—
| per 1,000 population. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory System (including Atheroma and Cerebral Haemorrhage) | 1019 | or 4.21 |
| Cancer | 432 | 1.78 |
| Respiratory System (not Tubercular) | 241 | 0.99 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 155 | 0.64 |
| Diseases of the Digestive System (excluding Cancer and Tuberculosis) | 180 | 0.74 |
| Diseases of the Nervous System (not Tubercular) | 67 | 0.28 |
| Diseases of Renal System | 84 | 0.35 |
| Infectious Diseases (excluding Tuberculosis but including Influenza) | 139 | 0.57 |
| Suicides and Violent Deaths | 132 | 0.54 |
| Old Age | 28 | 0.12 |
| Congenital Debility, Prematurity and Malformation | 105 | 0.43 |
The greatest single group of causes of death as in 1936 was
diseases of the Circulatory system, and of this group Organic Heart
Disease was the most prominent member (770 deaths).
Arterio-sclerosis (251 deaths) is the second great cause of death
in this group. Cerebral Hæmorrhage, which caused, incidentally,
127 deaths, is one of the sequelae of Arterio-sclerosis, combined with
excessive blood pressure. Arterio-sclerosis and Cerebral Haemorrhage
between them caused 378 deaths, an increase of 59 upon 1936.