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
Camberwell 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
This page requires JavaScript
8
STATISTICS AND GENERAL INFORMATION.
The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell, which is situated
in the south-east part of the County of London, is 4¾ miles in
length; its greatest breadth is 2½ miles. In outline it roughly
resembles the shape of a pear. The subsoil of the area is clay
with a few pockets of gravel here and there. Although recognised
as a dormitory borough nevertheless a great variety of industries
are carried on in its 1,324 factories. The largest industrial undertaking
is the Gas Works in Old Kent Road.
A summary of the important vital statistics for the year 1948 together with comparative figures for the previous three years is given below.
| 1948 | 1947 | 1946 | 1945 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 178,200 | 175,060 | 164,380 | 135,460 |
| No. of Live Births | 3,396 | 4,278 | 3,848 | 2,435 |
| No. of Still Births | 66 | 70 | 87 | 63 |
| No. of Legitimate Births | 3,295 | 4,120 | 3,686 | 2,279 |
| No. of Illegitimate Births | 167 | 228 | 249 | 219 |
| Birth rate (per 1,000 population) | 19.0 | 24.4 | 23.4 | 19.5 |
| No. of Deaths | 2,032 | 2,336 | 2,218 | 1,968 |
| Death rate (per 1,000 population) | 11.4 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 14.5 |
| Death of infants under 1 year | 105 | 167 | 148 | 91 |
| Infant death rate per 1,000 live births | 31 | 39 | 38 | 34 |
| Deaths of legitimate infants | 101 | 163 | 134 | 84 |
| Deaths of illegitimate infants | 4 | 4 | 14 | 7 |
| Death rate of legitimate infants per 1,000 legitimate live births | 31 | 40 | 37 | 34 |
| Death rate of illegitimate infants per 1,000 illegitimate live births | 24 | 18 | 58 | 33 |
| Deaths of women from diseases or accidents associated with childbirth | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Maternal death rate per 1,000 total births | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| Deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis | 101 | 119 | 89 | 118 |
| Death rate from pulmonary tuberculosis | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Deaths from all forms of tuberculosis | 117 | 135 | 99 | 126 |
| Death rate from all forms of tuberculosis | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
The birth rates in England and Wales, London and Camberwell for the past four years are shown below.
| 1948 | 1947 | 1946 | 1945 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 17.9 | 20.5 | 19.1 | 16.1 |
| London | 20.1 | 22.7 | 21.5 | 15.7 |
| Camberwell | 19.0 | 24.4 | 23.4 | 19.5 |