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
Battersea 1921
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1921
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| Certified Causes of Death. | Months 0—3. | Months 3—6. | Months 6-9. | Months 9 -12. | Total. | % of Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | .36 |
| Diphtheria | 1 | _ | _ | 2 | 3 | 1.09 |
| Erysipelas | _ | 1 | _ | _ | 1 | .36 |
| Measles | _ | _ | _ | 1 | 1 | .36 |
| Meningococcal Meningitis | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | .36 |
| Whooping Cough | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 5.80 |
| Diarrhoea and Enteritis | 12 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 51 | 18.48 |
| Miliary Tuberculosis | _ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.09 |
| Tuberculous Meningitis | _ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.09 |
| Abdominal Tuberculosis | _ | _ | 1 | _ | 1 | .36 |
| Pneumonia | 13 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 42 | 15.22 |
| Bronchitis | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 3.99 |
| Other Respiratory Diseases | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | .72 |
| Prematurity | 64 | — | 1 | — | 65 | 23.55 |
| Marasmus | 16 | 3 | 2 | _ | 21 | 7.60 |
| Icterus Neonatorum | 4 | _ | _ | _ | 4 | 1.45 |
| Congenital Malformations | 13 | 2 | - | 1 | 16 | 5.80 |
| Suffocation (overlying) | 1 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 1.09 |
| Convulsions | 3 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1.45 |
| Atelectasis & Asphyxia | 8 | — | — | — | 8 | 2.90 |
| Meningitis (not Meningococcal | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | .36 |
| Miscellaneous | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 6.52 |
| Total | 150 | 49 | 39 | 38 | 276 | 100.00 |
| % | 54.3 | 17.8 | 14.1 | 13.8 | 100.00 | — |
Notification of Births Act, 1907-
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, was adopted throughout
the Borough and came into force at the beginning of 1908.
During 1921 the number of notifications of live births
received was 3,558. The (corrected) number of births
registered as belonging to Battersea was 3,742. The proportion
of notified to registered births was therefore 95.3 per
cent., compared with 91.2 per cent, in 1920.
There were 673 (or 18.5 per cent.) of the notifications,
including still-births, made by medical practitioners, 1,753
(or 481 per cent.) by midwives, and 1,220 (or 33'4 per cent.)
by other persons.
The number of still-births notified during the year was
88 (or 2.4 per cent.) of the total births registered. In the previous
year the number of still-births notified was 91.
The notified births are visited by the Council's Official
Health Visiting Staff and by the Health Visitors of the
voluntary organisations linked up with the Council's comprehensive
Maternity and Child Welfare scheme. Records are