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1
ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES
ANNUAL REPORT
of the MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
and
PRINCIPAL SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER
for the year 1969
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As required by statute I present this report for 1969 which is
the fifth Annual Report on the health of the residents of the Royal
(London) Borough of Kingston upon Thames and includes my report on the
School Health Service, In so doing I should like to mention some
proposals for the future and highlight others which are dealt with in
greater detail in the report.
There was a further fall in the population of the borough as
shown by the Registrar General's estimate of 143,670 at mid-1969. Both
the birth rate and the infant mortality rate were lower and there was also
a fall in the general mortality rate, more than 72 per cent of the deaths
occurring in people over the age of 65. I am pleased to report a fall in
the illegitimate birth rate at 6.8 per cent of total births. This was
against the national trend. With the greater use of family planning and
the introduction of the Abortion Act, there is likely to be a further
reduction in this rate in the future.
Last year I reported a 50 per cent increase in the number of
deaths in women from cancer of the lung and in 1969 there was a further
15 per cent increase. In 1965 cancer of the lung caused 1.3 per cent of
all female deaths compared with 3.8 per cent in 1969. It would seem that
the rate of female deaths from lung cancer is well on the way to the present
male rate of 10.25 per cent of all deaths. It has been established beyond
doubt that cigarette smoking is a major cause of lung cancer but this fact
is being ignored by so many people. It must be remembered too, that
cigarette smoking can cause chronic bronchitis and be a contributory factor
to coronary thrombosis.
The borough remained free from maternal deaths.