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II
The major causes of death among the population were:
Organic Heart Disease (2.61 per 1,000 of the population), Cancer
(2.34), Diseases of the Respiratory System (including Tuberculosis)
(1.T7), Diseases of the Digestive System (0.59), and deaths
due to violence of various kinds, including suicide (0.51).
There was a small decrease in the number of deaths from
Tuberculosis, but a considerable increase in those attributed to
Cancer.
Notifiable Infectious Diseases remained low in incidence, and
there were only 11 deaths from this group of conditions. Of these,
6 were due to Measles, 2 to Diphtheria, both of whom were nonimmunised
patients, and 3 from Whooping Cough.
A feature, noticed in 1944, namely, the increased incidence
of skin affections, which was not necessarily associated with dirt
or overcrowding, was again observed in 1945. During the year
405 appointments were made for families to attend the Cleansing
Station for Scabies treatment, comprising 1,108 individuals. Of
these, 350 families, comprising 979 individuals, actually attended
and were treated. The occurrence of small sores at the corners
of the mouth, particularly among children of middle school age,
noticed in 1944, was again present during the year. These sores
were seen in children who exhibited, also, other signs of nutritional
deficiency.
There were 29 cases of Clinical Diphtheria and 17 of positive
of nose or throat swabs without clinical symptoms, during the
year, and of these 12 were stated to have been immunised. In a
number of these it was found that the Post Schick Test, had been
omitted, with the consequence that there had been no check upon
the effectiveness of the immunising injections. It is only right to
say that many of the children had received immunisation injections
during their evacuation from Croydon.
The number of children under 15 years who completed the
full course of diphtheria immunisation during the year was 2,707
and 272 received their first injection.
403 notifications of Scarlet Fever, 2,245 notifications of
Measles, and 368 notifications of Whooping Cough were
received. These figures showed a small increase in notifications
of Scarlet Fever, a decrease in notifications of Whooping Cough,
and a very substantial increase in notifications of Measles. This
latter condition exhibited its characteristic 2-year phase, 1944
was a low year, 1945 a high year.