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
London County Council 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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to 1927 and 1928 to 1934, together with the deaths in childbirth in 1934, are shown in the following table:—
| Metropolitan boroughs arranged in topographical order. | Childbirth deaths per 1,000 births. | Number of deaths in childbirth. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920-27. | 1928-34. | 1934. | |||||||
| Puerperal fever. | Other causes. | Total. | Puerperal fever. | Other causes. | Total. | Puerperal fever. | Other causes. | Total. | |
| Paddington | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Kensington | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Hammersmith | 2.1 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Fulham | 1.9 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Chelsea | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 3 | 3 | |
| Westminster | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| St. Marylebone | 2.1 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Hampstead | 1.8 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| St. Panoras | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Islington | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Stoke Newington | 2.5 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 5.1 | _ | 1 | 1 |
| Hackney | 1.8 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Holborn | 2.9 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 1 | - | 1 |
| Finsbury | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.9 | . | . | . |
| City of London | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.7 | — | 5.7 | . | . | . |
| Shoreditch | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.7 | _ | 1 | 1 |
| Bethnal Green | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Stepney | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Poplar | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| South wark | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Bermondsey | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lambeth | 1.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Battersea | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Wandsworth | 1.6 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Camberwell | 1.7 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Deptford | 1.6 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Greenwich | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Lewisham | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Woolwich | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
The deaths in childbirth in 1934 are shown in the above table but not the death.
rates, as, owing to the smallness of the figures, the rates for a single year may be
misleading. The maternal mortality rates for each metropolitan borough in 1934
are set out in the table on page 29, and for London as a whole annually since 1922
on page 31.
It will be seen that the average annual deaths from childbirth per 1,000 live
births for the seven years 1928-34 is higher than for the eight years 1920-27. The
increase in the puerperal fever death-rate is .26 or 18 per cent., and in other causes
.08 or 5 per cent.