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 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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Vital Statistics.
Births registered in Battersea numbered 2,082. Of these, only 1,009
were of Battersea parents, but there were 622 Battersea children born
outside the Borough, and the total number of Battersea live births in
1943 was therefore 1,631 (852 males, 779 females).
Still births numbered 36—rate 21.60 per 1,000 births, live and still.
Illegitimate births numbered 120, which included 3 among the still
births.
Of the 1,631 Battersea live births, 1,442 were notified to the Medical
Officer of Health under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
The birth rate for the year showed an increase of 0.013 per cent.
over that of the previous year.
Marriages.—810 marriages were registered in Battersea during 1943.
Deaths.—2,585 deaths were registered in Battersea during 1943. Of
these only 1,095 were of Battersea residents, but there must be added
313 deaths of residents of the Borough registered elsewhere, giving a
total of 1,408 (716 males, 692 females), and the death rate was 5.69 per
cent. higher than that for 1942.
For the 5 years 1938-42 the death-rate was 15.2 per 1,000 population, the average number of deaths per annum having been 1,629.
The causes of death, arranged under the headings of the short list used by the Registrar-General, were as follows: —
| 1. | Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers | 1 | 18. | Inter-cranial vascular lesions | 65 | |
| 2. | Cerebro-spinal fever | 2 | 19. | Heart disease | 413 | |
| 3. | Scarlet fever | — | 20. | Other diseases of circulatory system | 72 | |
| 4. | Whooping cough | 7 | 21. | Bronchitis | 103 | |
| 5. | Diphtheria | 5 | 22. | Pneumonia | 85 | |
| 6. | Tuberculosis of the respiratory system | 80 | 23. | Other respiratory diseases | 13 | |
| 7. | Other forms of tuberculosis | 9 | 24. | Ulcer of stomach or duodenum | 14 | |
| 8. | Syphilitic diseases | 15 | 25. | Diarrhoea (under 2 years) | 7 | |
| 26. | Appendicitis | 2 | ||||
| 9. | Influenza | 34 | 27. | Other digestive diseases | 29 | |
| 10. | Measles | 2 | 28. | Nephritis | 20 | |
| 11. | Acute polio-myelitis and polio-encephalitis | — | 29. | Puerperal and post-abortion sepsis | — | |
| 12. | Acute infective encephalitis | 3 | 30. | Other maternal causes | — | |
| 13. | Cancer of buccal cavity and oesophagus (m): uterus (f) | 26 | 227 | 31. | Premature birth | 26 |
| 32. | Congenital malformations, birth injuries, infantile diseases | 26 | ||||
| 14. | Cancer of stomach and duodenum | 24 | 33. | Suicide | 2 | |
| 15. | Cancer of breast | 33 | 34. | Road traffic accidents | 9 | |
| 16 | Cancer of all other sites | 144 | 35. | Other violent causes | 45 | |
| 17. | Diabetes | 7 | 36. | All other causes | 85 | |
Infant Mortality.—There were 88 deaths of infants under twelve
months of age, giving an infant mortality rate of 53.95 per 1,000 births.
This may be compared with a rate for the previous five years (1938-42) of
54.65. The deaths of illegitimate infants numbered 11, giving an illegitimate infant death rate of 94.02.