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
Heston and Isleworth 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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In Table II is given the classification of deaths compiled by the Registrar-General. In Table IV
the classification has been compiled from local information. To help in classifying causes of death the
Registrar-General may obtain additional information which is not available to the Medical Officer of Health
and thus small discrepancies may be noticed on comparing the two Tables.
A progressive change is taking place in the percentage age distribution of deaths and this is shown in the following table:-
| 1910-14 | 1940-44 | 1945-49 | 1950 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 21.8 | 7.8 | 5.3 | 2.8 |
| 1-4 years | 8.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| 5-14 years | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.5 |
| 15-24 years | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 |
| 25-64 years | 30.8 | 35.2 | 33.0 | 33.1 |
| 65 years and over | 31.5 | 51.0 | 56.7 | 62.0 |
The chief causes of death in males were heart and circulatory diseases (168), cancer (89), bronchitis
and pneumonia (60), and cerebral haemorrhage (47). In females the chief causes of death were heart and
circulatory diseases (187), cancer (97), cerebral haemorrhage (83) and bronchitis and pneumonia (38).
It should be noted that 65 per cent. of the deaths due to accidents other than motor vehicle accidents occurred
in persons aged 65 years and over. Practically all these deaths were the result of falls and this special
liability of old persons should be borne in mind by all having any responsibility for the care of such persons.
Infant Mortality.—During 1950 there were 30 deaths of children under the age of 1 year. This
represents an infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births of 24.4 as compared with 29.8 for England and
Wales. The causes of infant deaths are shown in Table III.
In the following table the change in the local infant mortality rate over 5-year periods from 1898 is shown:-
| No. of live births. | No. of deaths under 1 year | Infant Mortality Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-1902 | 4,369 | 698 | 160 |
| 1903-1907 | 5,264 | 665 | 126 |
| 1908-1912 | 5,383 | 590 | 110 |
| 1913-1917 | 4,661 | 461 | 99 |
| 1918-1922 | 4,326 | 327 | 76 |
| 1923-1927 | 4,333 | 271 | 63 |
| 1928-1932 | 6,055 | 318 | 53 |
| 1933-1937 | 7,121 | 313 | 44 |
| 1938-1942 | 6,912 | 393 | 57 |
| 1943-1947 | 8,210 | 345 | 42 |
| 1948 | 1,545 | 46 | 30 |
| 1949 | 1,449 | 25 | 17 |
| 1950 | 1,247 | 30 | 24 |
It will be seen that the fall in the infant mortality rate has generally been steady and continuous.
On theoretical grounds an infant mortality rate in the neighbourhood of 20 should be possible and the
falling rate encourages the hope that practice may yet catch up with theory.
Maternal Mortality.—The number of deaths due to causes associated with pregnancy and childbirth
was one. This gives a maternal mortality rate per 1,000 total (live and still) births of 0.8 as compared
with 0.9 for England and Wales. Maternal deaths are usually divided into those due to septic infection
and those due to diseases and other conditions associated with pregnancy and labour, and the local
trend of deaths from these two causes is shown below :—
Maternal deaths per 1,000 total (live and still) births.
| Sepsis | Other causes | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930-34 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| 1935-39 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
| 1940-44 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| 1945-49 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| 1950 | — | 0.8 | 0.8 |
Here, as throughout the country, advances in the prevention and treatment of septic infections can
be measured by the considerable reduction in deaths from septic abortion, puerperal fever, etc. Fluctuations
in the number of maternal deaths due to causes other than sepsis serve to remind us of the need for
improving ante-natal and obstetric care.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Incidence of Notifiable Diseases.—The number of cases notified during the last ten years are shown below:-
| 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 117 | 190 | 280 | 130 | 124 | 67 | 62 | 159 | 138 | 92 |
| Diphtheria | 37 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 20 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 12 |
| Pneumonia | 124 | 72 | 116 | 50 | 25 | 47 | 56 | 41 | 52 | 64 |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 34 | 12 | — | 3 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Epidemic encephalitis | 1 | — | — | - | 1 | — | — | — | — | - |
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis | 1 | - | - | 3 | 7 | 1 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 9 |
| Typhoid fever | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| Paratyphoid fever | 30 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | — | 6 |
| Dysentery | — | 2 | — | 22 | 28 | 6 | — | 5 | 2 | 6 |