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

Enfield 1955

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]

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Table: BIRTHSThe corrected birth rates for both sexes, live and still births, which takes into consideration those born outside the Borough and those in the Borough not rightly recorded to the Borough, and also the corrected birth rates for the last five years are :—

BIRTHS

The corrected birth rates for both sexes, live and still births, which takes into consideration those born outside the Borough and those in the Borough not rightly recorded to the Borough, and also the corrected birth rates for the last five years are :—

Year.Boys.Girls.Total.Birth-rate per 1,000 Population.Illegitimate Birth-rate per 1,000 Population.
19517758131,58814.450.38
19527157471,46213.320.38
19536986761,37412.570.45
19547097061,41512.950.52
19557006841,38412.690.44

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INQUESTS
Fifty-nine Inquests and two-hundred-and-nine Post-mortem
examinations without inquests were held during the year. Of
these, 214 deaths were due to natural causes, 40 to accidental
causes, 9 to suicide, 3 to misadventure, and in 2 cases an open
verdict was recorded.
FATAL HOME ACCIDENTS.
Three years ago I wrote at some length on this subject, comparing
Enfield figures with the National pattern. This year again
in Enfield the emphasis is on fatal accidents to the aged. Of the
15 fatal home accidents to Enfield residents, involving 11 females
and 4 males, all were to persons between the ages of 74 and 94.
The precipitating cause of death in most cases was a fall,
leading in many cases to fractured bones followed by lung complications,
brain damage or circulatory failure. One death in a
female aged 76 years was due to coal gas poisoning.
The outstanding points in these figures are the high proportion
of elderly females, 73 per cent, of the total, and the fact that no
children were involved.
One hears much more about Road accidents than accidents
in the Home, and this year there were as many fatal accidents to
Enfield residents in the home as there were in the streets, i.e., 15.
In the case of road accidents, the percentage of males involved was
87 per cent, and the ages ranged from 7 years to 89 years.