London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Merton and Morden 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
This page requires JavaScript
TABLE IV.
Causes of Death during the year 1947.
| No. | Cause of Death | Males | Females | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers | — | — | — |
| 2 | Cerebro spinal fever | — | — | — |
| 3 | Scarlet Fever | — | — | — |
| 4 | Whooping Cough | 1 | — | 1 |
| 5 | Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| 6 | Tuberculosis Respir. System | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| 7 | Other forms of Tuberculosis | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | Syphilitic disease | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 9 | Influenza | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 10 | Measles | — | — | — |
| 11 | Ac. Poliomyel. and polioencephalitis | — | — | — |
| 12 | Ac. inf. encephalitis | — | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Cancer of buc. cav. and oesoph. (M) uterus (F) | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| 14 | Cancer of stomach and duodenum | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| 15 | Cancer of breast | — | 16 | 16 |
| 16 | Cancer of all other sites | 35 | 43 | 78 |
| 17 | Diabetes | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 18 | Intra-cranial vascular lesions | 28 | 36 | 64 |
| 19 | Heart disease | 84 | 79 | 163 |
| 20 | Other dis. of circ. system | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| 21 | Bronchitis | 16 | 15 | 31 |
| 22 | Pneumonia | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| 23 | Other respiratory diseases | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 24 | Ulcer of stom. or duodenum | 4 | — | 4 |
| 25 | Diarrhoea under 2 years | — | — | — |
| 26 | Appendicitis | — | -— | — |
| 27 | Other digestive diseases | 4 | 7 | |
| 28 | Nephritis | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| 29 | Puer. and post abort, sepsis | — | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Other maternal causes | — | — | — |
| 31 | Premature birth | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 32 | Con. mal. birth inj. inf. dis. | 16 | 12 | 28 |
| 33 | Suicide | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 34 | Road traffic accident | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 35 | Other violent causes | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| 36 | All other causes | 27 | 23 | 50 |
| Total all causes | 308 | 303 | 611 | |
MATERNAL MORTALITY.
One death of a mother in childbirth in our area gives us this
year a maternal mortality of 0.73 per thousand total births.
Last year our mortality was nil and for the past five years it has
been less than one. This is of course a matter for gratification,
but it will be appreciated that as one death raises it this year
from nil to 0.73, it would not take many such incidents —
another one or two even with our 1,400 births — to produce a
21