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CAUSES OF DEATH.
There were 690 deaths during the year, of whom 363 were
male and 327 female.
The largest single cause of death was once again heart
disease (208), including coronary disease, angina and hypertension
with heart disease. Cancer came next with 154 deaths, and
with a rate of 2.1 per thousand population gives us the
highest ever recorded in the district. Of this total, 35 were
deaths from cancer of the lung, which once again shows an
increase. As usual, there w.as a preponderance of males in this
group. Pulmonary tuberculosis caused 22 deaths as compared
with 14 last year, but, as has been pointed out elsewhere in
this report, the London "Smog" in December was partly to
blame for this increase.
The other significant increase in the table was in group
33, motor vehicle accidents, which rose from 1 death in 1951
to 7 in 1952.
There was only one death which can be attributed to accidents
in the home. This subject is of such importance that it is
dealt with separately in the text.
The 1952 report on deaths in the London area would not
be complete without some reference to the catastrophe of the
early December fog, which has become known as the 'Smog'.
Its effect can be measured by the rise in deaths for the week
ending 13th December, the week following the fog, which
lasted five days. There were 35 deaths compared with five
for the corresponding week for the previous year. Deaths
from respiratory diseases rose from 2 for the week ending
6th December to 13 for the week of the fog and in the following
week, out of a total of 12 deaths registered 9 were due to
respiratory diseases From the 22 deaths from respiratory
diseases registered during these two weeks 11 actually occurred
whilst the fog persisted, which seems a fair indication of its
essential toxic nature. Transferable deaths are not included
in these figures.
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