London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Southgate 1957

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]

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MORTALITY
General Mortality and Death Rate.
The nett number of deaths accredited to the district was 901,
57 more than in 1956.

This gives a crude death rate of 12.6 per 1,000 of the population and a corrected death rate of 10.5 (the rate for 1956 being 9.9).

Death Rates
YearNo. of DeathsSouthgateEngland and Wales
19538389.1811.4
19548138.8011.3
195580911.3011.7
195684411.8011.7
195790112.6011.5

Apart from the fact that the major causes of death as shown
by the Registrar-General's return are still deaths from diseases of
the heart and circulation and lung cancer, I would comment on two
specific death rates :
The tuberculosis death rates for Southgate have not altered
a great deal over the past four years, the number of yearly deaths
varying from 9 in 1957 to 2 in 1956. In 1957, the death rate from
tuberculosis was 0.08 per thousand of the population, the third
highest rate in Middlesex. In 1956, the death rate from tuberculosis
was the third lowest in Middlesex ; while in 1955 the death
rate (0.11 per thousand population) was exactly the average for
the County. In 1954, the Southgate rate was somewhat below
the average. In other words, although the death rates from tuberculosis
in a district such as Southgate might be expected to be low,
this is not always the case. The reasons are not difficult to find.
It must be obvious that persons suffering from tuberculosis move
into Southgate from Inner London because of the very fine
amenities available and the absence of industrial development. The
fact that a very few of these patients die—and I need scarcely say
that the death rate from tuberculosis is declining year by year—
must never be taken to imply that that is a bad area so far as
tuberculosis is concerned. One must consider, above everything
else, the number of new cases recorded in the Borough, especially
among what might be termed the indigenous population. The fact
that our death rates from tuberculosis are relatively high, however,
does indicate the urgent need for the adequate housing of all
families from which a case of tuberculosis has been reported. So
far as the tracing of contacts and the care of actual patients is
concerned, the work of our Chest Clinics is particularly important.
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