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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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| Cause of Accident | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall: On stairs | 41 | 36 | 39 | 30 | 25 |
| From ladder | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| From chair | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Outside (i.e., windows, balconies, roofs, etc.) | 5 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| In garden | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| In bath | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| From one level to another (i.e., tables, boxes, beds, etc.) | 11 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 17 |
| On same level (i.e., in room, over objects) | 35 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 28 |
| Unspecified | 85 | 72 | 101 | 108 | 128 |
| Hit by Object | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Cooking stove (saucepans, water, fats, etc.) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Teapot | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Other boiling water | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 1 |
| Electric shock | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Poisoning (including foreign objects) | 8 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Gassing | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Knife-like wounds (including spikes and cuts from glass) | 12 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 14 |
| Fires | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Windows (trapping) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Suffocation | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Not specified | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Total | 262 | 240 | 276 | 274 | 301 |
| Rate per 10,000 population | 23.7 | 22.1 | 25.8 | 26.1 | 28.9 |
Use of Slipper Baths by Old Age Pensioners.
The Council make available to old age pensioners free use of
slipper baths at their Baths Establishments on production of their pension
books. This facility has also been extended to blind oersons.
During the year 1962 this arrangement was taken advantage of at the respective Baths Establishments as follows:—
| Males | Females | |
|---|---|---|
| Latchmere | 3,093 | 2,753 |
| Nine Elms | 743 | 415 |
| Plough Road | 1,563 | 1,640 |
| Total | 5,399 | 4,808 |
Burial of Deceased Persons.
Under Section 50 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, the Council
are responsible for the burial or cremation of the body of any person
dying, or being found dead, in the Borough, and have power to recover
from the estate of the deceased person, or from any person who, under
the Act, was liable to maintain the deceased immediately prior to his
death, their expenses incurred in carrying out the duty, in so far as
these expenses are not covered by any grant made under the
Insurance Act, 1946.