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
Woolwich 1918
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1918
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7. The following table gives the birth-rate for the Borough
and each Registration District for the five past quinquennia and
for 1916, 1917 and 1918, the rates for the Registration Districts
being calculated on the civil population. Correction has been
made for births in the Infimary, the Wood Street Home for Mothers
and Babies and outlying institutions, and the births distributed
to the parishes to which they properly belong.
West Plumstead and Eltham had the lowest birth-rate of
the four Registration Districts. Although the birth-rate in
Eltham has fallen very much since 1916. it was still higher than
in the five years 1911-15.
The greatest decrease since 1911-15 is in the parishes of Woolwich and West Plumstead.
| 1891 to 1895 | 1896 to 1900 | 1901 to 1905 | 1906 to 1910 | 1911 to 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolwich Borough | 32.5 | 30.2 | 29.2 | 25.3 | 22.2 | 21.7 | 17.1 | 16.5x |
| Woolwich Parish | 31.1 | 30.1 | 29.0 | 27.9 | 25.2 | 21.5 | 19.6 | 19.7ø |
| Plumstead.West | 33.3 | 31.0 | 30.1 | 24.7 | 20.7 | 21.6 | 17.4 | 15.4ø |
| East | 22.7 | 20.5 | 18.7 | 18.01ø | ||||
| Eltham Parish | 22.8 | 20.6 | 24.0 | 21.6 | 17.3 | 23.5 | 18.2 | 17.8ø |
xTotal population used.
øCivil population used; number of soldiers not known, but very small.
8. Illegitimate Births. 98 of the births registered were
illegitimate, giving a rate of 38 per 1,000 births, compared with
23, 21, 29, 34 and 37 in the five preceding years,
MARRIAGES.
9. There were 1,484 marriages. The marriage rate was 20.2
compared with 17.7, 27.1, 23.7 ana 19.7 in the four preceding years.
The marriage rate in England and Wales in 1917 was 13.8 and was
the lowest on record.
DEATHS.
10. Table 1 gives the gross and net deaths and death rates
in 1918 and each of the past sixteen years, and shows how the net
deaths are arrived at.
11, The net deaths were 2,092, and the net death-rate 14.3
compared with 12.3 and 10.6 in the two preceding years, and 12.5
4