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
Fulham 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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75
in his comparison of the vital statistics of a re-housed slum population before and after
re-housing with a similar population living under continued bad housing conditions.
Dr. McGonigle showed conclusively that where the family income per head is low,
good housing alone will not prevent ill-health. Fortunately, these considerations do not
apply the statistics of the working class flats given in the following table:—
TABLE 27.
| Fulham Borough. | Fulham Court. | Lewis Trust, S.W.6. | Lewis Trust, W.14. | Peabody Buildings. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population :— | |||||
| (a) Total | 143,600 | 1,895 | 1,346 | 766 | 599 |
| 16,291 | 577 | 388 | 202 | 67 | |
| (c) Per cent, under 10 | 11.1 | 30.7 | 28.1 | 26.3 | 11.2 |
| Births | 1,989 | 24 | 18 | 7 | 7 |
| Birth Rate | 13.8 | 12.66 | 13.37 | 9.13 | 11.68 |
| Deaths :— | |||||
| 1,662 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | |
| 162 | 5 | 1 | 4 | _ | |
| (c) Under 1 | 100 | 3 | 1 | 1 | _ |
| Total Death Rate (crude) ... | 11.6 | 4.84 | 6.68 | 11.74 | 13.35 |
| Death Rate under 10 on population under 10 | 9.94 | 8.66 | 2.57 | 19.80 | '- |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 51 | 125 | 55 | 143 | — |
| Diphtheria, No. of Cases :— | |||||
| 375 | 17 | 20 | 12 | 2 | |
| 261 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 2 | |
| Attack rate per 1,000 :— | |||||
| (a) Total | 2.6 | 8.97 | 14.85 | 15.66 | 3.34 |
| (6) Under 10 | 16.14 | 20.79 | 43.81 | 39.6 | 29.85 |
| Scarlet Fever, No. of Cases :— | |||||
| 317 | 7 | 6 | 5 | — | |
| (b) Under 10 ...... | 199 | 6 | 2 | 3 | — |
| Attack rate per 1,000 :— | |||||
| (a) Total | 2.2 | 3.69 | 4.45 | 6.52 | — |
| (6) Under 10 | 12.21 | 10.39 | 5.15 | 14.85 | — |
It will be noted that the infant mortality rate in Fulham Court and in Lewis Trust,
W.14, is high. Of the three infant deaths in the former case one was from enteritis, one from
orbital cellulitis (following an accident) and one from broncho-pneumonia. The Lewis
Trust, W.14, figure is based on one death only from birth injury.