London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hornchurch 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornchurch]
This page requires JavaScript
GENERAL MORTALITY: MAIN CAUSES 1946-1955
| Cancer | 147 | 142 | 139 | 180 | 155 | 183 | 184 | 211 | 234 | 210 |
| Infectious diseases | 8 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Cardio-vascular disease | 316 | 314 | 371 | 404 | 441 | 418 | 425 | 602 | 590 | 591 |
| Influenza | 8 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 2 |
| Pneumonia | 39 | 48 | 30 | 31 | 20 | 30 | 49 | 52 | 41 | 49 |
| Bronchitis | 47 | 66 | 36 | 65 | 63 | 69 | 52 | 85 | 54 | 65 |
| Other respiratory diseases | 11 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Gastro intestinal diseases | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 13 | 10 |
| Motor vehicle accidents | 9 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| All other accidents | 11 | 7 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 18 |
| Suicide | 12 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
The features of the above statistics are:—
Tuberculosis—4 deaths from respiratory tuberculosis occurred
during the year as against 10 last year. The decreasing mortality
is well indicated in the table on Page 46.
Malignant diseases—there has been a general reduction of 234
to 210 in the deaths ascribed to this cause. Specifically there was an
increase in actual deaths from cancer of the stomach from 29 to 33
and reduction in the mortality from breast and uterus neoplasms;
cancer of the lung and bronchus caused the death of 32 males as
against 46 in the previous year, whilst the female deaths from this
cause rose from 2 to 8.
Deaths from coronary disease and angina total 139 as against
144 in the previous year.
Deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia showed a rise.