London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Chelsea 1940

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chelsea, 1940

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16
Illegitimate Births.—The following table shows the number of
illegitimate births and the percentage of the total births.

TABLE No. 7.

Year.Number of Illegitimate Births.Percentage of Total Births.
Male.Female.Total.
193923264.99.09
19401623399.11

Stillbirths.—The corrected number of stillbirths during the year was
10 which represents a rate for the Borough of 0.25 per 1,000 of the
population, as compared with 0.44 for London as a whole.
MARRIAGES.
There were 839 marriages registered in the Borough during the year
(1065 in 1939). The marriage rate (number of marriages per 1,000 of
population) was 21.6 In the preceding year the marriage rate was
19.2..
DEATHS.
The total number of deaths of Chelsea residents during the year was
851 equivalent to a death rate of 22.0 per 1,000 of estimated estimated civilian population.
The death rate for England and Wales for 1940 was 14.3, and for
London 17.8.
Adjusted Death Rate.—If the populations of all areas were similarly
constituted as regards the proportions of their sex and age group components,
their crude death rates (deaths per 1,000 population) could be
accepted as valid comparative measures of the mortalities experienced
by the several populations.
In practice, however, populations are not thus similarly constituted, and
the Registrar-General has accordingly calculated a factor (called the Areal
Comparability Factor) for each district. This is, in effect, an adjustment
of the age and sex composition of the district to that of England and
Wales as a whole, so that all may be compared on the same basis. To
obtain the adjusted death rate, the crude death rate is multiplied by the
Comparative Factor which has the effect of making a corrected death
rate comparable with the death rate of any other district which has been
similarly adjusted. The Areal Comparative Factor for Chelsea is 0.81.
and the death rate for 1940 when set adjusted is 17.8.