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
Wimbledon 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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Notification of Births Acts, 1907 and 1915.
During the year, 645 births were notified by the following
persons:—
Parents 21
Midwives 431
Doctors 66
Other persons 127
Fourteen notifications of stillbirths were received.
Deaths.—The total number of deaths registered in the
district was 524 (227 males and 297 females), equal to a death
rate of 8.9 per thousand of the population per annum.
The deaths occurring outside the district, of persons beloning to this Borough were two hundred and eighty, namely:—
| Kingston and District Joint Hospital | 138 |
| Nelson Hospital, Merton | 27 |
| S.C.C. Sanatorium, Godalming | 12 |
| St. Thomas's Hospital | 9 |
| Others | 94 |
| Total | 280 |
The deaths occurring within the district, of persons not belonging thereto were eighty, namely:—
| North Wimbledon Hospital | 22 |
| Isolation Hospital | 3 |
| Atkinson Morley Hospital | 1 |
| Private Nursing Homes | 27 |
| Others | 27 |
| Total | 80 |
Taking these into consideration, the total number of deaths
properly belonging to Wimbledon is 724, and the death rate 12.3
per thousand of the population. The rate for England and Wales
for the same period was also 12.3 per thousand.
The death rate shows an increase over the figure for the
previous year. Although the expectation of life has continued
to increase and people are dying at a later age it is more than
probable that the death rate in Wimbledon will continue to rise.
Owing to the declining birth rate there are fewer children and
younger people in the community. The infantile deaths are now
a small proportion of the total deaths. The mean age of the population
is steadily rising. For this reason the death rate in the
Borough will probably continue to increase.
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