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
Orpington 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Orpington]
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Full details of the causes of death will be found in Table II in the appendix to this report, but the following table, giving details of certain causes of death in the Urban District during the past ten years, may prove of interest:—
| Disease. | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer (all sites) | 108 | 108 | 134 | 131 | 131 | 158 | 172 | 159 | 169 | 155 |
| Cancer of the lung, | ||||||||||
| bronchus | 19 | 25 | 23 | 34 | 33 | 38 | 48 | 33 | 43 | 47 |
| Heart and Circulatory | ||||||||||
| Diseases | 285 | 320 | 262 | 264 | 284 | 328 | 348 | 321 | 382 | 384 |
| Respiratory Diseases (excluding Tuberculosis) | 81 | 44 | 79 | 135 | 88 | 119 | 107 | 110 | 90 | 104 |
| Tuberculosis | 10 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Infectious Diseases | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Road Accidents | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 |
| Other Accidents | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 9 |
The following is a summary of the weekly details received from the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance during 1962:—
| Four weeks ending. | Number of first certificates of incapacity received. |
|---|---|
| 23rd January | 1,787 |
| 20th February | 1,219 |
| 20th March .. .: | 1,163 |
| 17th April | 1,048 |
| 15th May | 793 |
| 12th June | 734 |
| 10th July | 561 |
| 7th August .. | 552 |
| 4th September | 525 |
| 2nd October | 603 |
| 2nd November | 793 |
| 27th November | 858 |
| 31st December | 1,082 (5 weeks) |
The sickness rate continued to follow the normal trend, namely,
the highest incidence of illness occurred during the early and late
parts of the year, with the lowest figures being recorded in August.
Staff Medical Examinations.
114 members or potential members of the staff were given a
medical examination during the year. 120 were examined in the previous
year.