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
Shoreditch 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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The distribution of the deaths and the death rates in the different wards is given below:—
| Ward. | Males. | Females | Total. | Deaths per 1,000 population. | Deaths of infants under 1 year per 1,000 births registered. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moorfields | 32 | 21 | 53 | 15.3 | 143.0 |
| Church | 111 | 88 | 199 | 13.8 | 114.6 |
| Hoxton | 94 | 87 | 181 | 12.9 | 40.4 |
| Wenlock | 86 | 82 | 168 | 12.2 | 43.7 |
| Whitmore | 91 | 76 | 167 | 12.7 | 65.3 |
| Kingsland | 58 | 47 | 105 | 12.5 | 73.8 |
| Haggerston | 55 | 69 | 124 | 14.3 | 106.4 |
| Acton | 55 | 42 | 97 | 10.3 | 53.1 |
| Totals | 582 | 512 | 1,094 | 12.8 | 74.6 |
In the table on page 36 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, 283 (25.9 per cent.); cancer, 142 (13.1 per cent.); tuberculosis, all
forms, 61 (5.6 per cent.); bronchitis, 61 (5.6 per cent.); measles, 41 (3.8 per cent.);
pneumonia, all forms, 93 (8.5 per cent.). The number of deaths due to accidents in
connection with vehicular traffic was 7. In the years 1932 to 1935 inclusive, the
corresponding figures were respectively 18, 17, 19 and 17. The particulars regarding
deaths from cancer are contained in the table on page 33.
The death rate for Shoreditch for 1935 was 11.3, so that the rate for 1936
represents a considerable increase to 12.8. The crude rate for Shoreditch is still
slightly below the average for the last ten years, but it is higher than the rates for
London as a whole and for England and Wales respectively. Nevertheless certain
features are not unpleasing. The crude death rate does not give a very accurate
conception of the position, but it should be noted (see table on page 34) that there
are four other London boroughs whose adjusted death rates are equal to or higher
than that of Shoreditch.