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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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14
Deaths of Illegitimate Infants.
The death rate amongst illegitimate children during 1952 was 41.23
per 1,000 illegitimate live births, as compared with 42.73 in 1951, 40.40
in 1950, 22.73 in 1949 and 44.30 in 1948. The corresponding death
rate of legitimate children in 1952 was 16.19 the ratio of mortality rate
of illegitimate infants to that of legitimate being 255 to 100. The
corresponding figure for 1951 was 161 to 100.
Maternal Mortality.
During 1952 there were three deaths of women from diseases
or accidents of child-birth, which is equivalent to a fatality rate of 1.66
per 1,000 births (live and still). There were no such deaths during 1951.
The rate for England and Wales in 1952 was 0.72.
Comparative Statistics of Births, Mortality, etc.
(Compiled from Registrar-General's Returns.)
| Year | Population | Live Birth Rate | Death Rate | Maternal Death Rate | Infant Mortality Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 89,160 | 18.3 | 15.8 | 0.0 | 53.9 |
| 1944 | 85,380 | 19.0 | 17.7 | 1.22 | 49.8 |
| 1945 | 90,420 | 17.6 | 13.8 | 1.23 | 40.8 |
| 1946 | 108,610 | 23.4 | 13.5 | 1.54 | 42.4 |
| 1947 | 114,960 | 23.2 | 12.6 | 0.73 | 31.5 |
| 1948 | 116,500 | 19.3 | 11.3 | 1.00 | 31.6 |
| 1949 | 117,510 | 17.2 | 12.1 | 0.97 | 25.2 |
| 1950 | 117,700 | 16.1 | 11.2 | 1.02 | 26.9 |
| 1951 | 117,000 | 16.1 | 12.4 | 0.00 | 27.6 |
| 1952 | 116,400 | 15.2 | 11.9 | 1.66 | 17.6 |
Infectious Diseases.
There was a decrease in the number of notifications received during
1952, there being 1,661 during the year as compared with 3,476 in 1951,
a decrease of 1,815. This, in the main part, was due to a drop in the
number of notifications of measles and whooping cough.
There were 1,657 measles and 199 whooping cough notifications
less in 1952 than in the previous year 1951.
Seventeen cases of polio-myelitis were notified, but in three of these
cases the diagnosis was not confirmed, leaving 14 confirmed cases
(8 paralytic and 6 non-paralytic) all but one occurring in children under
15 years of age.
A further 9 suspected cases were removed to hospital where it was
found that the patients were not suffering from this disease.
There were 23 confirmed cases in 1947, 5 in 1948, 28 in 1949, 7 in
1950 and 2 in 1951.
During the year there was only one case of diphtheria in the
Borough, occurring in a child who had never been immunised. This
case unfortunately proved fatal, the patient dying before he could be
removed to hospital.