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
City of Westminster 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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19
The figures on which the statistics are based are not large, but when
considered with those of the previous year for the northern part of
the City (see above) it will be seen that the conclusions which may be
drawn are similar. I have not reproduced the Home Office tables here,
but append a short summary in tabular form.
Group I.
| Mothers. | Children. | Average Income of Family. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surviving 1st Year. | Dying 1st Year. | Stillborn. | |||
| Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | |||
| Not industrially employed | 97.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 32 | 5 |
| Industrially employed at home | 86.9 | 11.4 | 1.6 | 43 | 3 |
| Mothers. | Children Breast-fed | Children Artificially Fed Entirely. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Months and Over. | 2—3 Months. | 1 Month. | Partially. | ||
| Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | |
| Not industrially employed | 65.5 | 11.8 | 16.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| Industrially employed at home | 58.5 | 13.0 | 20.7 | 5.7 | 1.9 |
Working at home in this trade, even though it brings in a larger
income, is apparently detrimental to the infant's health.
In Group II there are included 309 infants, and 58.9 percent. of the
mothers are not industrially employed. In this sub-division 85.2 percent.
of the children survive the first year. Only 5.8 percent. of the
mothers are employed in a workshop, and 77.8 percent. of the children
survived the first year. The balance, 35.3 percent., of the mothers
cannot be said to be "industrially" employed either at home or elsewhere,
as among them are included women acting as caretakers of premises,
looking after lodgings, office cleaning and such like work, occupying
them only a part of the day. The number actually employed in
handicrafts is too small to deal with statistically. If, however, all the
above are included as "industrially" employed, then the figures are as
shown below:—