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(v) Diseases of Respiratory Tract. (2 deaths) One was due to pneumonia and occurred at
three months. The remaining death was from staphylococcal pneumonia at two months.
(vi) Other causes. (4 deaths)
(a) Inhalation of vomit. Age 2 months.
(b) Umbilical hernia. Age 5 hours.
(c) Convulsions after artificially induced labour. Age 11 hours
(d) Haemolytic disease of new born. Age 5 minutes
Cancer Deaths
In 1959 there were ten less cancer deaths than in the previous year but the corrected
death rate of 2.60 per 1,000 population remains higher than the national rate which in 1958 was
2.10.
Lung cancer caused seventy-two deaths, (64 males, 8 females) giving a corrected deathrate
of 0.66 which is 50% above the national rate of 0.44 in 1958. Whilst cigarette smoking is
an important contributory cause of this disease, there may be other factors giving rise to the
much higher incidence in urban areas. Atmospheric pollution is now being tackled in an
energetic manner and long term benefits should accrue, in the reduction of chronic respiratory
diseases which are much more common in urban areas.
Diseases of Arteries
These include coronary heart disease, angina and vascular lesions of the central nervous
system, and together account for just over a quarter of all deaths. It is to be expected that this
should be so since they are often a consequence of the natural ageing process and as the
proportion of older people increases a rise in death-rate from these causes will follow.
In modern society there continues to be a high number of deaths due to these causes amongst
people under 65 years particularly amongst males. In Tottenham 87 of the 369 persons dying
between the ages 15 and 64 years arose from these causes and with cancer they accounted for
60% of all deaths in this age group.
With the virtual conquest of so many communicable diseases more and more attention is
now being focussed on the functional diseases but there remains much to be learned of both their
cause and treatment before the rising trends are to be reversed.