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
Wembley 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wembley]
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The principal causes of death at all ages are recorded in the following table, along with the comparative numbers of deaths which occurred from the same causes in England and Wales during 1937:-
| Disease. | Wembley total No. of deaths. | Proportion per total 1,000 deaths. | A comparative figure England and Wales (937—Proportion per total 1,000 deaths. | Increase or decrease between proportions— Wembley (1938) England & Wales (1937). | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Heart disease | 177 | 220 | 254 | — 34 | |
| 2. Cancer—malignant disease | 127 | 158 | 131 | +24 | |
| 3. Other diseases of circulatory system | 82 | 102 | 56 | + 46 | |
| 4. Other diseases of digestive system | 54 | 67 | 38 | + 29 | |
| 5. Violence (all forms, including injuries and accidents) | 51 | 63 | 45 | + 18 | |
| 6. Premature birth and diseases of early infancy | 47 | 58 | 30 | + 28 | |
| 7. Pneumonia (all forms) | 44 | 55 | 58 | - 3 | |
| 8. Tuberculosis of respiratory system | 39 | 48 | 47 | + 1 | |
| 9. Non-venereal diseases of genito-urinary system | 23 | 29 | 46 | - 17 | |
| 10. Bronchitis | 20 | 25 | 35 | - 10 | |
| 11. Old Age | 17 | 21 | 33 | - 12 | |
| 12. Diarrhoea and enteritis | 11 | 14 | 10 | + 4 | |
| 13. Other forms of tuberculosis | 10 | 12 | 9 | + 3 | |
| 14. Influenza | 9 | 11 | 37 | - 26 | |
As for the country as a whole, heart disease accounted for
the largest proportion of deaths, and cancer came next in
importance; while a remarkably close proportion of the deaths
from heart disease and from other diseases of the circulatory
system is revealed by adding together the deaths under the
above headings 1 and 3—the proportion for Wembley being 322.
and for England and Wales (1937) 310.
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