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
London County Council 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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20
In general, the figures, even for four years taken together, are too small to give
rates which permit of anything but tentative conclusions. The boroughs arc
arranged in the tables in topographical order, and it will be seen from the rates
shown in table 27, third column, that among married women the maternal risk in the
central and eastern areas, containing the poorest and most overcrowded populations,
namely, Finsbury, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Stepney and Poplar, show a lower
rate than the average for London as a whole. In general, the maternal death-rate
varies with the social condition of the population, being higher among those of the
more affluent groups of population. The result is much the same whether the
populations are considered by social condition as measured by the proportion of
children scheduled for elementary education, or according to the death-rate from
all causes, or by the percentage of employed women who are in domestic service.
There is no very marked difference in the percentage of still-births in regard
to the social condition, nor of deaths occurring within the first seven days of birth,
but the death-rate from abortions among married women is apparently higher in
boroughs where the financial circumstances are bad.
Table 24.—London—Deaths in childbirth and pregnancy : age distribution, 1931-34.
| Metropolitan borough | Married women | Unmarried women | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15- | 20- | 25- | 30- | 35- | 40- | 45 + | Total | Death from sepsis | All other deaths | ||||
| Abortion | Other cases | Abortion | Other cases | ||||||||||
| Paddington | — | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 1 | — | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 9 |
| Kensington | 1 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 5 | 9 | — | 18 | 3 |
| Hammersmith | — | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | _ | 25 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
| Fulham | — | 1 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | 27 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
| Chelsea | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 2 |
| Westminster, City of | — | — | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 12 | 1 | 4 | — | 7 | 0 |
| St. Marylebone | — | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Hampstead | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 |
| St. Pancras | — | 4 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 6 | — | 32 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 11 |
| Islington | 1 | 12 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 04 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 33 | 4 |
| Stoke | — | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 15 | 3 | 2 | _ | 10 | 1 |
| Newington Hackney | _ | 3 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 4 | _ | 33 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 3 |
| Holborn | _ | 1 | _ | 2 | 1 | _ | 4 | _ | 2 | _ | 2 | 1 | |
| Finsbury | — | — | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | _ | 4 | 1 |
| City of London | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Shoreditch | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | _ | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bethnal Green | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | — | 3 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 4 | — | 8 | 1 |
| Stepney | — | 2 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | — | 36 | 7 | 4 | — | 25 | 5 |
| Poplar | — | 2 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 3 | — | 27 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| Southwark | — | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 4 |
| Bermondsey | — | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | 23 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Lambeth | _ | 3 | 11 | 12 | 10 | _ | 2 | 38 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 5 |
| Battersea | 1 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 2 | _ | 29 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| Wandsworth | 1 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 57 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 4 | |
| Camberwell | 1 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 5 | 17 | _ | 20 | 4 |
| Deptford | — | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 8 | 6 | — | 10 | 2 |
| Greenwich | — | 1 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 22* | 3 | 5 | _ | 14 | 2 |
| Lewisham | — | 4 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 7 | — | 35 | 5 | 13 | _ | 17 | 2 |
| Woolwich | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 22 | 3 | 10 | — | 9 | 1 |
| London County | 7 | 90 | 192 | 185 | 135 | 82 | 15 | 713* | 111 | 216 | 19 | 367 | 92 |
* In one case in Greenwich the age was not stated.