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
Dagenham 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]
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The following figures give the estimated or census population, the number of houses as ascertained from the rate books and the number of persons per house:—
| Population. | No. of houses. | No. of persons per house. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 Census | 89,362 | 19,457 | 4.59 |
| 1931 Estimated | 90,870 | 19,457 | 4.67 |
| 1932 | 94,952 | 19,952 | 4.71 |
| 1933 | 95,550 | 20,754 | 4.60 |
| 1934 | 98,710 | 21,918 | 4.50 |
| 1935 | 100,300 | 22,800 | 4.40 |
| 1936 | 102,000 | 23,994 | 4.25 |
| 1937 | 105,500 | 25,170 | 4.19 |
| 1938 | 107,400 | 25,904 | 4.15 |
It will be seen that the number of occupiers per
house continues to fall, and has steadily done so since
the year 1932. This is an indication that the standard
of housing as regards overcrowding is improving;
formerly it was common to find married sons and
daughters living with their parents. The tendency now
is for each married couple to live in a separate house,
which is a practice to be encouraged.
Births.
1,940 live births were registered during the year,
there being 1,018 males and 922 females. This is in a
ratio of 1,104 males to 1,000 females, which is considerably
higher than the average, as usually male births
exceed females by about 50 per 1,000. There is a drop
of total births from 1,973 in 1937 to 1,940. The birth rate
per thousand population was 18.06 compared with 15.1
for England and Wales and 15.0 for the 126 large towns
including London. The rate compares with that of
24.2, 26.5, 30.6, 23.8, 23.6, 20.4, 18.6, 19.6, 18.59, 18.47
and 18.7 for the years 1927 to 1937 inclusive.
This is the lowest birth rate recorded for the district,
but despite this, it still exceeds that for England and
Wales by nearly 3 per 1,000.