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
Southgate 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]
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MORTALITY
Genera! Mortality and Death Rate
The nett number of deaths accredited to this district was 838.
62 less than in 1952.
This gives a crude death rate of 11.62 per 1,000 of the population and a corrected death rate of 9.18 (the late for 1952 was 10.55).
| Year | No. of Deaths | Death Rates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southgate | England & Wales | London | ||
| 1949 | 820 | 9.49 | 11.7 | 12.2 |
| 1950 | 868 | 10.06 | 11.6 | 11.8 |
| 1951 | 951 | 11.09 | 12.5 | 13.1 |
| 1952 | 900 | 10.55 | 11.3 | 12.6 |
| 1953 | 838 | 9.18 | 11.4 | 12.5 |
Infant Mortality
There were 21 deaths of infants under 1 year of age, which
gives an infantile death rate of 27.63 per 1,000 births, as compared
with 9 deaths and a rate of 11.61 in the preceding year.
The corresponding rates for England and Wales and London
were 26.8 and 24.8 respectively.
The infant deaths and rates for the past five years were as follows:
| Year | No. of Deaths | Infantile Death Rates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southgate | England & Wales | London | ||
| 1949 | 24 | 25.42 | 32 | 29 |
| 1950 | 20 | 23.25 | 29.8 | 26.3 |
| 1951 | 13 | 15.49 | 29.6 | 26.4 |
| 1952 | 9 | 11.61 | 27.6 | 23.8 |
| 1953 | 21 | 27.63 | 26.8 | 24.8 |
As noted in the introduction to this Report, the infantile
mortality rate is higher than has been the case for several years.
It will be remembered that, in my report for 1952, when the infant
mortality rate reached the lowest figure yet recorded in Southgate,
I stressed the fact that the totals involved were much too small to
be regarded as significant. It may be stated here that every infant
death is fully investigated in an effort to arrive at any facts which
might remove conditions detrimental to our infant population. In
connection with the 21 infant deaths which took place in Southgate
during 1953, 9 occurred during the first four weeks of life and could
be attributed to causes very largely if not entirely outside local control,
so far as the Area Health staff was concerned.
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