Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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Coroner's Court and Mortuary
Details of post-mortem examinations and inquests held at the Coroner's Court, and of bodies received into the mortuary during 1971, are set out in the following table:—
TABLE 17
Details of bodies received | Usual place of residence | Totals | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wandsworth | Merton | Elsewhere | Unknown | ||
Post-mortem only | 730 | 334 | 123 | 26 | 1,213 |
Post-mortem and inquest | 82 | 36 | 38 | 7 | 163 |
812 | 370 | 161 | 33 | 1,376 | |
Inquest only | 3 | 1 | — | — | 4 |
85 | 37 | 38 | 7 | 167 | |
Total bodies received | 815 | 371 | 161 | 33 | 1,380 |
Verdicts at Inquests held— | |||||
Accidental/misadventure | 48 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 86 |
Alcoholism | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 |
Natural causes | 5 | — | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Open verdict | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
Suicide | 25 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 54 |
Homicide | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | 8 |
TOTALS | 85 | 37 | 38 | 7 | 167 |
In addition to the above, a further 73 inquests were held at the
Coroner's Court in respect of which no bodies were actually
received in the mortuary.
Transportation of bodies abroad
The bodies of persons dying in this country, when normally
resident abroad, are sometimes transported overseas for burial. This
cannot be done without a prior certificate from the Medical Officer
of Health of the district in which the death has taken place to the
effect that the death was not due to infectious or contagious disease,
and that no recent epidemic of such disease had occurred in the
district.
One such certificate was issued during the year.