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
Bethnal Green 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]
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SECTION A
STATISTICS OF THE AREA
| Area | 760 acres |
| Population, estimated mid-year | 57,040 |
| Number of inhabited houses (at 31st December, 1952) | 15,939 |
| Rateable Value | £445,556 |
| General Rate | 22s.8d |
| Sum represented by a penny rate | £1,805 |
EXTRACTS FROM VITAL STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR
| Males | Females | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Births: Legitimate | 490 | 452 | 912 |
| Illegitimate | 29 | 22 | 51 |
| Rate per 1,000 estimated population | 17.4 | ||
| Stillbirths: Legitimate | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Illegitimate | - | - | - |
| Rate per 1,000 total (live and still) births | 15.8 |
Deaths
| Death Rate per 1,000 estimated population | 11.9 | ||
| Deaths of infants under one year of age - | |||
| Legitimate | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| Illegitimate | - | - | - |
| Death Rate of Infants under one year of age - | |||
| All infants per 1,000 live births | 29.2 | ||
| Legitimate infants per 1,000 | |||
| legitimate live births | 30.8 | ||
| Illegitimate infants per 1,000 | |||
| illegitimate live births | Nil |
The population as estimated by the Registrar General is 960 less
than that for the previous year and, at the same time, the number of
inhabited houses has increased by 112. Throughout the Borough there
is an average of 358 persons for every 100 houses. This is a very
satisfactory figure and shows that there is comparatively little real
overcrowding in houses. The overcrowding which is not disclosed by
these figures is the crowding together of the houses themselves rather
than the crowding inside the houses.