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 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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| 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 |
| 1962 | 23 | 16.0 |
| 1963 | 21 | 13.9 |
DEATHS. The deaths of residents of the Borough during 1963 were 1,150 (611 male,
539 female). This represents a death rate for the Borough of 11.3 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 camparison, 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 12.4 as compared with a death rate of 12.2 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 273 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 | 1963 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 21.8 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| 1-4 years | 8.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 5 - 14 years | 3.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 15 - 24 years | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| 25 - 64 years | 30.8 | 31.6 | 28.8 | 29.1 |
| 65 years and over | 31.5 | 64.3 | 67.5 | 67.7 |
The chief causes of death were heart and circulatory diseases; cancer; bronchitis
and pneumonia; cerebral haemorrhage. In females 55 per cent. of deaths occurred at 75 years
and over as compared with 36 per cent. in males.
The Secretary of the Road Safety Committee informed me that during 1963 there were
in the Borough 765 road accidents which resulted in 13 deaths, serious injury to 137 persons
and slight injury to 830 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 | All ages | |
| 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 |
| 1962 | 1 | | 6 | 3 | 10 | | 2 | 10 | 11 | 23 |
| 1963 | | 1 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 1 | | 9 | 13 | 23 |
| Total | 3 | 9 | 82 | 52 | 146 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 107 | 185 |
Care and attention in the home, in the factory and on the roads is essential and the
special proneness to accidents of the aged should be remembered.
INFANT MORTALITY. During 1963 there were 17 deaths of children under the age of 1
year. This represents an infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births of 11.4 as compared with 20.9 for England and Wales.
The causes of infant deaths are shown in Table V. In the following table, the
change in the local infant mortality rate over 5 year periods from 1898 is shown:-