London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Greenwich 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
32
dying before reaching the age of one year being 261. Comparable
figures for the current year are 14.37 and 20 respectively. For
the County of London the rate was 21.8 whilst that for England
and Wales was 21.1
The present figure of 14.37, which is the lowest ever recorded
for the Borough, shows a reduction of 18.29 from that of the
previous year and is 6.28 lower than the average for the last
10 years.
A table showing the causes of and ages at death is included
in the Appendix to the Report.
The following table shows the comparative Infantile Mortality Rates for the quinquennial periods since 1931, together with the Rate for 1963:—
| District | Average for Quinquennial Periods | Year 1963 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 to 1935 | 1936 to 1940 | 1941 to 1945 | 1946 to 1950 | 1951 to 1955 | 1956 to 1960 | ||
| Greenwich | 75 | 50 | 40 | 27 | 18.4 | 18.89 | |
| London | 63 | 56 | 60 | 33 | 23.8 | 21.9 | |
| England and Wales | 62 | 55 | 50 | 36 | 26.9 | 22.7 | |
The actual number of infantile deaths recorded during the
year was 20 (24 less than last year) and these were attributed to
the following causes: —
Prematurity 4 Pneumonia 4
Congenital Malformation 2 Acute Tracheo Bronchitis 2
Cerebral Anoxia Breech Deliver (result of) 1
(Cord round neck) 1 Birth Injury 1
Haemolytic Disease of Respiratory Distress 1
Newborn 1 Fatty Degeneration of
Meningitis Liver 1
(Meningococcal) 1 Meningitis (E. Coli) 1
Of the above, 11 were male and 9 female; 3 died in St. Alfege's
Hospital, 3 in the Brook Hospital, 4 at home and 10 in hospitals
and institutions outside the Borough.
Neo-Natal Mortality —Neo-natal mortality, i.e., infants dying
before attaining the age of one month, accounted for 10 deaths
equivalent to 50 per cent of all infant deaths and giving a Neonatal
Mortality Rate of 7.18 per 1,000 live births. This rate is
a reduction of 15.09 from that of the previous year and compares