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
Hornchurch 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornchurch]
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8
The Area Comparability Factor for deaths this year varied from
0.93 to 0.94 and for births from 0.97 to 0.95.
BIRTH RATE—COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEARS
| 1942 | 17.5 | 1950 | 13.6* |
| 1943 | 19.0 | 1951 | 14.1 |
| 1944 | 11.9 | 1952 | 13.8 |
| 1945 | 18.4 | 1953 | 14.8 |
| 1946 | 21.3 | 1954 | 14.7 |
| 1947 | 20.7 | 1955 | 15.4 |
| 1948 | 17.2 | 1956 | 16.7 |
| 1949 | 16.0 | 1957 | 17.1 |
*Area Comparability Factor returned.
The A.C.F. might very generally be translated as one which being
applied to certain local figures makes them suitable for general comparisons.
Deaths in St. George's Hospital.
A note was made on this matter as it related to our general rate.
It is satisfactory that in future deaths occurring within six months of
admission in persons having a permanent address elsewhere than in
Hornchurch will be transferred elsewhere—a step which goes far towards
confirming my views in a previous report.
GENERAL MORTALITY: MAIN CAUSES 1947-1957.
| Causes of Death | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 195-4 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 38 | 44 | 35 | 29 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Cancer | 142 | 139 | 180 | 155 | 183 | 184 | 211 | 234 | 210 | 253 | 248 |
| Infectious diseases | 2 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Cardio-vascular disease | 344 | 371 | 404 | 441 | 418 | 425 | 602 | 590 | 591 | 682 | 679 |
| Influenza | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Pneumonia | 48 | 30 | 31 | 20 | 30 | 49 | 52 | 41 | 49 | 53 | 65 |
| Bronchitis | 66 | 36 | 65 | 63 | 69 | 52 | 85 | 54 | 65 | 95 | 79 |
| Other respiratory diseases | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 9 |
| Gastro intestinal diseases | 18 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 10 |
| Motor vehicle accidents | 6 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| All other accidents | 7 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
| Suicide | 10 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 |
Tuberculosis is down to a very low level and no deaths occurred
from meningococcal infection, whooping cough or diphtheria. Poliomyelitis
unfortunately showed two deaths as against none the previous
year. Other features of interest were that cancer of the lung and bronchus
caused 54 deaths—48 male, 6 female—as against 59, 51 and 8
respectively the previous year. Cancer in general caused 248 vice 253
deaths and apart from an increase of suicides from 9 to 14 no
significant trend is thought to exist in the remaining causes.