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 1945
[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.I).
June, 1946.
To the Corporation of Willesden.
I beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Report for Willesden for the year 1945, in accordance with
instructions received from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education that it should be a short report.
VITAL STATISTICS.
2,627 live births were registered.
08 still births were registered.
1,760 deaths were registered.
The infantile mortality rate for the year was 49.
129 children under 1 year of age died in 1945.
CANCER.
There were 282 deaths of Willesden residents from Cancer in 1945, as compared with 319 in 1914.
The two Municipal Cancer Clinics were continued throughout the year. 1 new patient attended in 1945.
She was referred to Hospital for further diagnosis for a lump in the breast, but this was not considered to be cancerous.
At the end of 1945, 5 patients remainded under observation.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
During the year 1945, 3,020 cases of infectious diseases were notified, as compared with 1,856 in the previous
year.
The following table gives the number of notifications of certain diseases included in the above total of 3,020,
together with the corresponding figures for 1944:—
Table No. 1.
| Number of Cases Notified. | No. of Notified Cases Confirmed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 1945 | 1945 | |
| Diphtheria | 60 | 130 | 57 |
| Scarlet Fever | 402 | 253 | 223 |
| Pneumonia | 283 | 339 | 338 |
| Whooping Cough | 411 | 221 | 215 |
| Erysipelas | 49 | 31 | 27 |
| Measles | 250 | 1,568 | 1,550 |
Diphtheria Immunisation.–The number of children who have completed a full course of immunisation since 1941 under the Council's scheme is 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 |
| 1943 | 1,691 | 2,520 | 4,211 |
| 1944 | 1,193 | 338 | 1,531 |
| 1945 | 1,983 | 493 | 2,476 |
The approximate mid-year population, 1945, as supplied by the Ministry of Health, based on ration books,
was 12,460 under 5 years of age and 18,430 between 5 and 15 years of age. It was estimated that 79 per cent. of those
under 5 years and 60 per cent. of those between 5 and 15 years had been immunised at 31st December, 1945.