[Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Hertfordshire County Council.

  • Hertfordshire (England). County Council. n 50062101.
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Hertfordshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    i*4 in 1928. It will be observed that this decrease is confined to the urban districts and that there has been an increase in the death-rate in the rural districts. The total number of deaths in the County was 526 compared with 540 in 1928. The highest death-rate for the year in the urban districts was 2*6 (Tring) and the lowest o-8 (Chorleywood, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City). -In the rural districts the highest death-rate was 2*3 (Berkhampstead) and the lowest 0-4 (Hemel Hempstead). Of the total number of 526 deaths from malignant disease during the year 251 were males and 275 were females, compared with 240 and 300 respectively last year. From these figures it will be observed that there is an increase in the number of deaths amongst males and a decrease amongst females. A study of the age at which death occurs points to the definite relationship which exists between malignant disease especially carcinoma and advancing years. Of the total number of deaths 289 or 55 per cent, occurred in persons over the age of 65 and 113 or 21 per cent, in persons over the age of 75. The largest number of deaths in the urban districts occurred in the age group 45-65 for both males and females whereas in the rural districts the largest number of deaths occurred in the male age group 65-75. There were four deaths under the age of 25, three in the urban districts and one the rural districts. The figures for the year rather suggest that malignant disease may develop somewhat later in life in rural districts than it does in urban districts. The immediate cause of malignant disease is not yet definitely known, but recent investigations point to the possibility of a filterable virus as the chief agent and it is essential that no effort should be spared to solve the problem of the causation of malignant disease and of its relationship to the resulting effect on the human body of present-day conditions of life. Measures to avoid sources of irritation with early diagnosis and immediate treatment are essential in any efforts to prevent or control the disease. In certain forms of malignant disease, in both sexes, radium has now proved of definile value.