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 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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Vital Statistics.
Births registered in Battersea numbered 1,976. Of these, only 1,004
were of Battersea parents, but there were 566 Battersea children born
outside the Borough, and the total number of Battersea live births in
1942 was therefore 1,570 (782 males, 788 females).
Still births numbered! 43—rate 26.66 per 1,000 births, live and
still.
Illegitimate births numbered 118, which included 6 among the still
births.
Of the 1,570 Battersea live births, 1,405 were notified to the Medical
Officer of Health under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
The birth rate for the year showed an increase of 16 per cent. over
that of the previous year.
Marriages.—963 marriages were registered in Battersea during 1942.
Deaths.—2,359 deaths were registered in Battersea during 1942. Of
these only 983 were of Battersea residents, but there must be added 301
deaths of residents of the Borough registered elsewhere, giving a total of
1,284 (651 males, 633 females), and the death rate was 18 per cent. lower
than that for 1941.
For the 5 years 1937-41 the death-rate was 14.8 per 1,000 population,
the average number of deaths per annum having been 1,742.
The causes of death, arranged under the headings of the short list used by the Registrar-General, were as follows:—
| 1. | Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers | _ | 17. | Diabetes | 10 | |
| 18. | Intra - cranial vascular lesions | 88 | ||||
| 2. | Cerebro-spinal fever | 2 | ||||
| 3. | Scarlet fever | — | 19. | Heart disease | 388 | |
| 4. | Whooping cough | 6 | 20. | Other diseases of circulatory system | 70 | |
| 5. | Diphtheria | 8 | ||||
| 6. | Tuberculosis of the respiratory system | 79 | 21. | Bronchitis | 109 | |
| 22. | Pneumonia | 46 | ||||
| 7. | Other forms of tuberculosis | 7 | 23. | Other respiratory diseases | 16 | |
| 24. | Ulcer of stomach or duodenum | 13 | ||||
| 8. | Syphilitic diseases | 13 | ||||
| 9. | Influenza | 4 | 25. | Diarrhœa (under 2 years) | 8 | |
| 10. | Measles | 2 | 26. | Appendicitis | 2 | |
| 11. | Acute polio-myelitis and polio-encephalitis | ___ | 27. | Other digestive diseases | 20 | |
| 28. | Nephritis | 21 | ||||
| 12. | Acute infective encephalitis | 1 | 29. | Puerperal and post-abortion sepsis | 2 | |
| 13. | Cancer of buccal cavity and œsophagus (m): uterus (f) | 22 | 197 | 30. | Other maternal causes | - |
| 31. | Premature birth | 25 | ||||
| 32. | Congenital malformations, birth injuries, infantile diseases | 23 | ||||
| 14. | Cancer of stomach and duodenum | 33 | 33. | Suicide | 6 | |
| 15. | Cancer of breast | 20 | 34. | Road traffic accidents | 12 | |
| 16. | Cancer of all other sites | 122 | 35. | Other violent causes | 23 | |
| 36. | All other causes | 83 | ||||
Infant Mortality.—There were 84 deaths of infants under twelve
months of age, giving an infant mortality-rate of 53.50 per 1,000 births.
This may be compared with a rate for the previous five years (1937-41) of
58.04. The deaths of illegitimate infants numbered 7, giving an illegitimate
infant death rate of 62.5.