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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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| Male | Female | Male | Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer of uterus | 0 | 8 | Other respiratory disease. | 8 | 1 |
| Cancer of other sites | 96 | 83 | Peptic ulcer | 10 | 12 |
| Leukaemia | 7 | 0 | Gastritis, Enteritis | 3 | 7 |
| Diabetes | 2 | 5 | Nephritis | 9 | 7 |
| Vascular diseases of nervous system | 91 | 155 | Hyperplasia of prostate . | . 25 | 0 |
| Pregnancy, etc. | 0 | 2 | |||
| Coronary disease | 183 | 104 | Congenital malformation. | 11 | 2 |
| Hypertension | 28 | 29 | Other diseases | . 62 | 88 |
| Other heart disease | 79 | 156 | Motor vehicle accidents | 10 | 4 |
| Other circulatory disease | 37 | 65 | Other accidents | 21 | 20 |
| Influenza | 1 | 1 | Suicide | 12 | 9 |
| Pneumonia | 31 | 30 | Homicide | 2 | 0 |
| Bronchitis | 42 | 20 |
1,289 deaths were due to diseases of the circulatory system, vascular
diseases of the central nervous system and to cancer, a percentage of 73
of the total deaths. In 1952 over two-thirds of the deaths in the country
as a whole were due to these groups of causes. The growth of this
fraction is due partly to the increased control over certain of the communicable
diseases which in other days accounted for deaths, and to the
extending longevity of the population.
The following table shows for each sex the percentage of deaths in different age groups of those in this district for last year and for the country as a whole for 1953.
| Local, 1954 | England and Wales, 1953 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| Under 1 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 3.2 |
| 1— 4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| 4—15 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| 15—25 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| 25—35 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| 35—45 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| 45—55 | 12.3 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 6.3 |
| 55—65 | 20.8 | 12.8 | 17.7 | 12.2 |
| 65—75 | 27.3 | 24.3 | 28.5 | 25.4 |
| Over 75 | 29.2 | 46.6 | 33.3 | 46.7 |
It will be noticed that of the local deaths 56.5 per cent of those of males
were persons of 65 and over; of 75 and over 29.2 and in fact of 85 or over
5.6. The corresponding figures for females were 60.9, 46.6 and 14.4. Of
local residents who died last year 28 per cent. had reached the age of 75,
and 10 per cent. had reached the age of 85.
Infant Mortality
The infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying under one
year of age per thousand born. It is one of the vital statistics of special
interest because it has for long been accepted as an index of the healthiness
of the community, being influenced by so many of the factors which
affect the health of the population. This was perhaps more the case in
the earlier days of the century when so much of the infant loss occurred