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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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STILLBIRTHS The number of stillbirths in 1961 was 27 The proportion of stillbirths per 1 000 total (live and still) births in recent years is shown below:-
| No. of Stillbirths | Rate per 1,000 total births | |
|---|---|---|
| 1930-34 | 214 | 31.2 |
| 1935-39 | 224 | 29. 4 |
| 1940-44 | 200 | 27.7 |
| 1945-49 | 198 | 23. 8 |
| 1950-54 | 129 | 20.6 |
| 1955-59 | 94 | 14.8 |
| 1960 | 24 | 17.1 |
| 1961 | 27 | 18. 8 |
DEATHS. The deaths of residents of the Borough during 1961 were 1,126 (604
male, 522 female). This represents a death rate for the Borough of 11.0 per 1,000
population. The deaths in any area are influenced by the sex and age distribution of
the population, and to permit of a true comparison, the Registrar-General calculates
for each local sanitary authority area what is called an area comparability factor.
When this is applied to the above Borough rate, the result is 11.6 as compared with
a death rate of 12.0 per 1,000 population for England and Wales.
The Registrar-General has classified the deaths registered during the year, and
the details are given in Tables II, III and IV The cause of death was certified by
the Coroner in 274 cases
A progressive change is taking place in the percentage age distribution of deaths, and this is shown in the following table:-
| 1910-14 | 1950-54 | 1955-59 | 1961 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 21.8 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 3.1 |
| 1-4 years | 8.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 5-14 years | 3. 8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 15 - 24 years | 3. 7 | 0.8 | 0. 8 | 1.0 |
| 25 - 64 years | 30.8 | 31. 6 | 28.8 | 28.1 |
| 65 years and over . | 31.5 | 64. 3 | 67.5 | 67.3 |
The chief causes of death were heart and circulatory diseases; cancer; bronchitis
and pneumonia; cerebral haemorrhage. In females 56 per cent, of deaths occurred at
age 75 years and over as compared with 30 per cent in males.
The Secretary of the Road Safety Committee informs me that during 1961 there
were in the Borough 834 road accidents which resulted in 19 deaths, serious injury to
173 persons and slight injury to 823 persons.
The number of deaths from motor vehicle and other accidents in Borough residents during the last ten years is shown below:-
| Year | Motor Vehicle Accidents Age in years | Other Accidents Age in years | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-64 | 65 + | All ages | 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-64 | 65 4 | All ages | |
| 1952 | - | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | - | - | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| 1953 | - | - | 9 | 8 | 17 | - | - | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| 1954 | - | 1 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 1 | - | 9 | 13 | 23 |
| 1955 | - | - | 7 | 7 | 14 | - | 1 | 4 | 13 | 18 |
| 1956 | - | 2 | 9 | 6 | 17 | - | - | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| 1957 | 1 | - | 5 | 4 | 10 | 2 | - | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| 1958 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 17 | - | - | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 1959 | - | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 1 | - | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| 1960 | - | 1 | 11 | 5 | 17 | - | - | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| 1961 | - | 1 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 |
| Total | 2 | 9 | 78 | 60 | 149 | 5 | 2 | 57 | 110 | 174 |