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
Battersea 1939
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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Vital Statistics.
Population.—The population of the Borough at the middle
of 1939 is estimated by the Registrar-General to have been 139,200,
or 2,500 less than in 1938. On this figure is based the birth-rate,
but for the calculation of the death-rate the Registrar-General
has supplied a reduced figure of 131,600.
Births.—Number registered in Battersea, 2,776. Of these,
only 1,418 were of Battersea parents; add 585 Battersea children
born without the Borough; total Battersea live births in 1939,
2,003 (975 males, 1,028 females). Live birth-rate 14.39 per 1,000
of the estimated population.
Still births numbered 40—rate 19.6 per 1,000 births, live and
still.
Illegitimate births numbered 111, which included 8 among
the still births.
Of the 2,003 Battersea births, 1,810 were notified to the
Medical Officer of Health under the Public Health (London) Act,
1936.
Marriages registered in Battersea 1939, 1,710, a marriagerate
of 24.6, nearly 30 per cent. above the average for 1934-38.
Deaths.—Number registered in Battersea 1939, 2,728. Of
these only 1,324 were of Battersea residents, and to these must be
added 363 deaths of residents of the Borough registered elsewhere,
giving a total of 1,687 (882 males, 805 females) and a death-rate
(based upon the reduced figure mentioned above) of 12.82.
The causes of death, arranged under the headings of the short list used by the Registrar-General were as follows:—
| 1. Typhoid (enteric) fever | – | 19. Bronchitis | 84 |
| 2. Measles | – | 20. Pneumonia | 71 |
| 3. Scarlet fever | 2 | 21. Other respiratory diseases | 8 |
| 4. Whooping cough | 6 | 22. Peptic ulcer | 25 |
| 5. Diphtheria | 2 | 23. Diarrhoea, etc. | 25 |
| 6. Influenza | 17 | 24. Appendicitis | 9 |
| 7. Encephalitis lethargica | – | 25. Cirrhosis of liver | 3 |
| 8. Cerebro spinal fever | 2 | 26. Other diseases of liver, etc | 5 |
| 9. Tuberculosis (respiratory) | 103 | 27. Other digestive diseases | 22 |
| 10. Tuberculosis (other) | 8 | 28. Acute and chronic nephritis | 46 |
| 11. Syphilis | 6 | 29. Puerperal sepsis | 1 |
| 12. General paralysis of the insane | 4 | 30. Other puerperal causes | 3 |
| 31. Congenital debility, premature birth, etc. | 49 | ||
| 13. Cancer, malignant disease | 262 | ||
| 14. Diabetes | 17 | 32. Senility | 17 |
| 15. Cerebral haemorrhage, etc. | 42 | 33. Suicide | 15 |
| 16. Heart disease | 590 | 34. Other violence | 57 |
| 17. Aneurysm | 10 | 35. Other defined diseases | 111 |
| 18. Other circulatory disease | 64 | 36. Causes ill-defined or unknown | 1 |
Infant Mortality.—There were 119 deaths of infants under 12
months of age, giving an infant mortality-rate of 61.66* per
1,000 births. This may be compared with a rate for the previous
5 years (1934-38) of 61.91. The deaths of illegitimate infants
numbered 10, giving an illegitimate infant death-rate of 90.9.
* This figure is by direction of the Registrar-General based on a total of
1930 births