London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Brentford and Chiswick 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford and Chiswick]
This page requires JavaScript
Birth Rate
The Birth Rate fell from 14. 13 in 1956 to 13.80 in 1957, To make an approximate
allowance for the way in which the sex and age distribution of the local
population differs from that for England and Wales as a whole, the birth rate
is multiplied by a comparability factor supplied by the Registrar-General.
This, then gives a comparative birth rate of 12.97 compared with 16.1 for England
and Wales as a whole.
INFANT MORTALITY
During 1957 the number of live births recorded was 796, 741 legitimate and
55 illegitimate. There were 13 still births, 8 male and 5 female,
There were 13 deaths of infants under 1 year of age, as compared with 15
in 1956, 10 in 1955 and 21 in 1954, giving an infant mortality rate of 16.33
for 1957. The local figure compares with an infant mortality rate of 23.0 for
England and Wales.
The graph on page 17 shows the progress of Infant Mortality since the
beginning of the century.
The number of premature infants born in 1957 was 68, including premature
stillbirths Of the 60 premature infants born alive, 6 were born at home, all
of whom survived to the end of one month 54 were born in hospital, of whom
48 survived to the end of one month.
The percentage of premature infants to total births (live and still) is 8.4 Thus an improved stillbirth figure i.e from 19 in 1956 to 13 in 1957 is offset by the increase in the number of premature births since the premature infant is at greater risk for at least part of its first year of existence The following figures show the percentages of premature infants to total births (live and still) since 1950.
| 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 8.4 |
Causes of infants deaths are shown in Tablfe II on page 61.
MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY
Deaths from Puerperal Causes:-
Puerperal Sepsis Nil
Other Causes Nil
There have been no maternal deaths in Brentford and Chiswick for the past
five years, and from the year 1947 in which one was recorded, the only other
occurred in 1952,
During the year 82 cases of puerperal pyrexia were notified, as compared
with 97 in 1956 One case occurred after home confinement, 81 were mothers
confined at Chiswick Maternity Hospital 14 of the cases were residents of the
Borough No deaths occurred from this cause.
The definition of puerperal pyrexia for notification purposes its "any
febrile condition occurring in a woman in whom a temperature of 100.4 degrees
Fahrenheit (38 degrees Centigrade) or more has occurred within fourteen days
'after child-birth or miscarriage:-
16