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
Willesden 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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BOROUGH OF WILLESDEN.
Health Department,
54, Winchester Avenue,
Kilburn, London, N.W.6.
July, 1943.
To the Willesden Borough Council—
The Local Sanitary Authority,
and the Local Education Authority.
I beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Reports for Willesden for the years 1941 and 1942, in
accordance with instructions received from the Ministry of Health and Board of Education that these should
be short reports.
VITAL STATISTICS
1,757 live births were registered in 1941 and 2,550 in 1942.
50 still births were registered in 1941 and 84 in 1942.
1,597 deaths were registered in 1941 and,1659 in 1942.
The infantile mortaility rates for the years 1941 and 1942 were 52 and 51 respectively.
92 children under one year of age died in 1941 and 130 in 1942.
CANCER,
There were 250 deaths of Willesden residents from Cancer in 1941 and 304 in 1942, as compared with
294 in 1940 and 299 in 1939.
The two Municipal Cancer Clinics were continued throughout the year. 10 new patients attended these
Clinics in 1941 and 3 in 1942. The total attendances were 22 in 1941 and 7 in 1942.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
During the year 1941, 1,984 cases of infectious disease were notified and during the year 1942 2,611 cases
were notified, as compared with 1,170 in 1940.
The following table gives the number of notifications of certain diseases included in the above totals of
1.984 and 2,611 together with the corresponding figures for 1940:—
Table No. 1.
| Number of Cases notified. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | |
| Diphtheria | 123 | 145 | 186 |
| Scarlet Fever | 104 | 114 | 351 |
| Pneumonia | 196 | 182 | 225 |
| Whooping Cough | 82 | 505 | 460 |
| Erysipelas | 31 | 26 | 48 |
| Measles | 294 | 670 | 955 |
DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION.
The number of children who completed a full course of immunisation in 1941 and 1942 under the
Council's scheme was as follows:—
Table No. 2.
| Children under 5 years. | Children 5 years of age and over but under 15 years. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 1,186 | 813 | 1,999 |
| 1942 | 1,833 | 2,660 | 4,493 |
The approximate estimated number of children in Willesden at 31st December, 1942, was 10,000 under
5 years of age and 15,500 between 5 and 15 years of age. It was estimated that 34.5 per cent, of those under
5 years had been immunised and 31 per cent, of those between 5 and 15 years.
The Council first made arrangements for immunising Willesden children against diphtheria in May, 1927.
Immunisation was carried out at the Kilburn Health Centre and the Municipal Hospital. More recently, when
the number of applicants has been large enough, immunisation sessions have been arranged in the schools.
Since November, 1942, sessions have also been held regularly at each of the Council's Health Centres.