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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
Kensington 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Table showing the number of deaths in 1931 from certain diseases of public health importance, arranged in four-weekly periods.
| Four weeks ending | Enteric fever. | Scarlet fever. | Whooping cough. | Diphtheria. | Influenza. | Phthisis. | Cancer. | Bronchitis. | Pneumonia. | Diarrhœa . and enteritis. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 31 | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 18 | 26 | 20 | 31 | 8 |
| February 28 | — | — | 1 | — | 27 | 23 | 26 | 32 | 30 | 2 |
| March 28 | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 18 | 27 | 3 |
| April 25 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 9 | 27 | 11 | 18 | 4 |
| May 23 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| June 20 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 6 | 20 | 5 | 15 | 4 |
| July 18 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| August 15 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 29 | 2 | 9 | — |
| September 12 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | 26 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| October 10 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 5 |
| November 7 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 7 | 31 | 8 | 19 | 1 |
| December 5 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 32 | 8 | 16 | 3 |
| January 2 | — | — | 2 | — | 5 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 25 | 4 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 64 | 127 | 333 | 136 | 232 | 40 |
Infantile Mortality.
During the year 1931, there were 2,485 births and 188 deaths of children under the age of
12 months in the borough. These figures give an infantile mortality rate (deaths of infants
under twelve months to each 1,000 births) of 76.
The following table gives the births and the infantile deaths and death rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington and the various wards of the borough for the year 1931, and the infantile death rates for the previous four years
| District. | 1931. | Infantile mortality rates in previous four years. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of births. | No. of deaths of children under 1 year of age. | Infantile mortality rate. | |||||
| 1930 | 1929 | 1928 | 1927 | ||||
| England and Wales | 632,580 | 41,648 | 60 | 66 | 74 | 65 | 69 |
| London | 70,622 | 4,769 | 65 | 64 | 70 | 67 | 59 |
| The Borough | 2,485 | 188 | 76 | 69 | 84 | 83 | 66 |
| North Kensington | 1,827 | 158 | 86 | 76 | 93 | 93 | 73 |
| South Kensington | 634 | 28 | 44 | 55 | 71 | 66 | 53 |
| Wards. | |||||||
| St. Charles | 569 | 43 | 76 | 64 | 59 | 58 | 86 |
| Golborne | 548 | 53 | 97 | 81 | 121 | 111 | 73 |
| Norland | 428 | 36 | 84 | 70 | 88 | 115 | 62 |
| Pembridge | 282 | 26 | 92 | 96 | 101 | 87 | 72 |
| Holland | 166 | 9 | 54 | 84 | 96 | 62 | 65 |
| Earl's Court | 163 | 3 | 18 | 46 | 70 | 75 | 31 |
| Queen's Gate | 68 | 4 | 59 | 57 | 46 | 87 | 25 |
| Redcliffe | 164 | 11 | 67 | 43 | 54 | 67 | 79 |
| Brompton | 73 | 1 | 14 | 30 | 94 | 24 | 31 |
| Ward unknown | 24 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
In considering the above and subsequent tables it must be remembered that the deaths of
infants at any temporary address (institution or private house) to which the mother went for her
confinement, and deaths of infants in institutions to which they were transferred for treatment
from the place of birth, are allocated to the district of the usual residence of the mother.