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
Harrow 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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9
Deaths.
Of the 1,999 deaths which occurred in the district, 137 were of persons
who were not residents of this area. Thirty-one of these took place in
the various hospitals, 36 in nursing homes, and 3 in Oxhey Grove, a home
for the elderly.
Of the 760 deaths of local residents which occurred outside the
district, most took place in institutions, 259 being in the Edgware General
Hospital, and 55 at other hospitals in the county. Six deaths occurred
in institutions for the treatment of tuberculosis, and three new.born
infants at a maternity institution. 154 deaths took place in hospitals just
outside the district, including 7 deaths in nearby isolation hospitals, and
131 in the various London hospitals.
The following is the Registrar-General s abridged list of causes of death in this district :—
| Male | Female | Male | Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resp. tuberculosis | 23 | 15 | Other heart diseases | 128 | 197 |
| Other tuberculosis | 1 | 1 | Influenza | 2 | 5 |
| Syphilitic disease | 4 | 4 | Pneumonia | 35 | 39 |
| Diphtheria | 0 | 0 | Bronchitis | 66 | 40 |
| Whooping Cough | 0 | 0 | Other respiratory diseases | 7 | 4 |
| Meningococcal infections | 0 | 0 | |||
| Peptic ulcer | 10 | 3 | |||
| Acute poliomyelitis | 2 | 2 | Gastritis, enteritis | 8 | 4 |
| Measles | 1 | 2 | Nephritis | 13 | 17 |
| Other infective diseases | 3 | 3 | Hyperplasia of prostate | 17 | 0 |
| Cancer of stomach | 35 | 29 | Pregnancy, etc. | 0 | 4 |
| Cancer of lung | 59 | 21 | Congenital malforma-tion | 5 | 8 |
| Cancer of breast | 0 | 48 | |||
| Cancer of uterus | 0 | 19 | Other diseases | 67 | 86 |
| Cancer of other sites | 108 | 103 | Motor vehicle accidents | 14 | 4 |
| Leukaemia | 4 | 1 | |||
| Diabetes | 5 | 15 | Other accidents | 13 | 14 |
| Vascular diseases of nervous system | 85 | 127 | Suicide | 9 | 12 |
| Homicide | 2 | 1 | |||
| Coronary disease Hypertension | 185 31 | 83 45 | |||
| Other circulatory diseases | 40 | 61 | Total | 982 | 1,017 |
The number of deaths, 1,999, is a marked increase on the figure of
1,890 for the previous year and is the largest number of deaths experienced
in this district. The death rate was 8.9 per thousand population,
compared with figures of 9.3, 9.0, 8.6, 8.5 and 8.5 for the years since 1944
and with the figure of 11.6 for the country as a whole.
In general, the death rate amongst the older is higher than amongst
the younger members of the population. Also, in general, the rate amongst
women is lower than that for men. If for any reason, then, the age
constitution of a population is abnormal, containing, for instance, more
women or a higher proportion of those age groups with lower death rates,