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 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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Most of the cases of suicide were by means of coal gas poisoning or barbiturate
poisoning, although other more violent means were also used.
It is disquieting to note the sum total of human misery recorded in these paragraphs
and to ponder over the fact that so much could and should be avoided.
Road Accidents
I am grateful to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for the following information
on road accidents which occurred within the Borough during the year 1965.
The total number of casualties for the year is approximately 7% up on the number for 1964 compared with the national increase of approximately 3%.
| 1965 | 1964 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of Accidents | 1,859 | 1,760 |
| Total number of Casualties | 2,387 | 2,215 |
| Fatal | 26 | 28 |
| Serious | 423 | 369 |
| Slight | 1,938 | 1,818 |
It is significant in Britain today that the number of road vehicles and the mileage
travelled are increasing annually by roughly 10%. The total number of registered
vehicles at present exceeds 13 million. The annual cost to the nation of road
accidents is estimated at about £270 million.
It will be noted that the 27 fatalities due to road accidents in the table,
Causes of Death, relate to residents of the Borough of Enfield, irrespective of where
the fatality occurred.
I am compelled, once again, to wonder if the real cause of most road accidents
is not linked with haste, impatience, selfishness and downright bad manners by all
categories of road users—all factors well within the bounds of prevention.
Inquests
118 inquests, and 477 post-mortem examinations without inquests were held
during the year.
Of these, 480 deaths were due to natural causes, 63 to accidental causes, 34 to
suicide, 1 to homicide, 3 to manslaughter, 3 to misadventure, and in 11 cases an
open verdict was recorded.
Marriages
The Registrar General reports that the provisional figure for the number of
marriages solemnised in the London Borough of Enfield during the year 1965,
was 2,244.
(Statistical Tables, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5—see pages 105 -110).
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