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

Poplar 1894

Report on the sanitary condition of the parishes of Poplar and Bromley within the Poplar District with vital statistics

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Table: INFANTILE MORTALITY. The number of deaths under one year of age was 290 in Poplar, and 387 in Bromley, giving death rates per 1000 births, which I have compared with other Eastern districts and London, as follows:—

INFANTILE MORTALITY. The number of deaths under one year of age was 290 in Poplar, and 387 in Bromley, giving death rates per 1000 births, which I have compared with other Eastern districts and London, as follows:—

Deaths all Ages per 1000 living.Deaths under one year per 1000 births.
Poplar19.4152
Bromley18.6152
Shoreditch19.9160
Bethnal Green20.4151
Whitechapel21.4154
St. George-in-the-East26.4185
Limehouse24.7174
Mile End Old Town21.1156
London17.7143

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The infantile death rate for the two parishes is the same, exceeding
the London rate by 9, and of all the Eastern districts is the lowest
except that of Bethnal Green. In the month of August a letter was
received from H. M. Superintending Inspector of Workshops stating
—By Sec. 17, of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1891:—"An
occupier of a factory or workshop shall not knowingly allow a woman
to be employed therein within four weeks after she has given birth
to a child." The communication went on to state that it was proposed
to extend this period from one to three months, and to establish
creches. I was requested to forward statistics as to the infantile
mortality in my district, which I complied with by sending a copy of
my annual report for 1893 (39 weeks), and when the rates were :—
33 Great Towns 194
Inner London 176
Poplar 192
Bromley 189