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
Kingston upon Thames 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
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Births- The number of live "births for 1957 is 548 and
compares with 550 for 1956. The crude birth rate is 14.20
per 1,000 population compared with 14.18 for 1956.
Deaths- The number of deaths recorded in 1957 is 432
compared with 442 for 1956. This makes a crude death rate
of 11.2 for 1957 compared with 11.4 for 1956. The excess
of births over deaths was 116 compared with 108 for the
previous year.
The number of deaths of infants tinder 1 year of age in
1957 is 7 which gives an Infant Mortality rate per 1,000
live births of 12.8. The corresponding figures for 1956 were
13 infant deaths and an Infant Mortality rate of 23.64.
The approximate average rate for the previous five year.
(1952-56) is 21.
The Infant Mortality Sate of 12.8 for 1957 is the
lowest yet recorded for the Royal Borough of Kingston-uponThames.
This is getting nearer to an irreducible minimum.
There were no maternal deaths (i.e. from pregnancy,
childbirth, abortion).
These rates are very satisfactory and are not likely to
be bettered to any great extent in the future, or in any
other communities where accurate vital statistics are kept
from year to year.
Causes of Death- The main conditions causing death
during 1957 were Heart Disease-121, Cancer-76 and
Vascular Lesions of the Nervous System-74.
national attention has been drawn in recent years to
the general increase in the number of deaths attributable
to lung cancer and its possible association with cigarette
smoking.
The following table shows the relevant figures for the
past five years in respect of Kingston residents. The
Registrar General couples cancer of the lung with cancer of the bronchus in his abbreviated list of causes of death.
| 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| 13 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 24 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 6 | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | ||||||
| Deaths from cancer of the lung and bronchus | 15 | 18 | 28 | 22 | 16 | |||||
Housing- During 1957 the Corporation completed only 4
Housing Units which were 1-bedroom flats. A further 28
Housing Units were provided by private enterprise. The Borough
is almost completely built up and the work of dealing with
obsolete houses is being proceeded with but is dependent to
some extent upon the availability of suitable alternative
accommodation for displaced families.
It is necessary somehow to stimulate provision of houses
suitable for aged couples or persons living alone and to continue
to encourage the transfer of aged persons occupying
larger houses to more modest accommodation suited to their