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
Shoreditch 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
This page requires JavaScript
17
The number of deaths which must be debited to Shoreditch is accordingly 1,188,
which figure gives a nett death rate of 13.1 per 1,000 population. In connection with
these deaths 62 inquests were held. The death rate in England and Wales for 1934
was 11-8, and in London 11-9.
In the table on page 5, are included corresponding figures for Shoreditch during
recent years.
The distribution of the deaths and the death rates in the different Wards are given below :—
| Ward. | Males. | Females | Total. | Deaths per 1,000 population. | Deaths of infants under 1 year per 1,000 births registered. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moorfields | 19 | 30 | 49 | 14.0 | 96.1 |
| Church | 135 | 86 | 221 | 14.4 | 79.5 |
| Hoxton | 119 | 86 | 205 | 13.8 | 86.8 |
| Wenlock | 94 | 89 | 183 | 13.0 | 117.4 |
| Whitmore | 105 | 87 | 192 | 13.7 | 103.7 |
| Kingsland | 66 | 45 | 111 | 12.4 | 81.6 |
| Haggerston | 63 | 57 | 120 | 13.0 | 40.8 |
| Acton | 62 | 45 | 107 | 10.7 | 44.9 |
| Totals | 663 | 525 | 1,188 | 13.1 | 84 |
In the table on page 26 will be found the numbers of deaths from different
causes and at different ages with their distribution by wards, together with
particulars of deaths in Public Institutions within the Borough.
Considering the deaths at all ages the chief causes are seen to be as follows:—
Heart disease, 269 (22.6 per cent.); cancer, 134 (11.3 per cent.); tuberculosis, all
forms, 94 (7.92 per cent.); pneumonia, all forms, 121 (10.2 per cent.). The number
of deaths due to accidents in connection with vehicular traffic was 19. In the years
1930 to 1933 inclusive, the corresponding figures were respectively 21, 22, 18 and 17.
The particulars regarding deaths from cancer are contained in the table on page 24.
It will be noted from the table on page 26 that the chief causes of death of
children between the ages of one and two years were measles and pneumonia. These
two causes accounted for 26 out of a total of 40 deaths between these ages. Altogether
195 or 16.4 per cent. of the total number of deaths of all ages were of children under the
age of 5 years. A noteworthy feature of the deaths for the year is the comparatively
small rate in Acton Ward. During the last few years the rate for this Ward has often
been considerably lower than those for the other Wards. So far as the nett death rate
is concerned, the year was uneventful. The rate showed a very slight increase on
that for 1933, but no importance can be attached to this observation. From the
table on page 25 it will be seen that the mortality in Shoreditch (after adjustment)
is very high. This feature is obviously associated with the environmental conditions.