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 1946
[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.
November, 1947.
To the Corporation of Willesden.
I beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Report for Willesden for the year 1946, in accordance with
instructions received from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education that it should be a short report.
VITAL STATISTICS.
3,420 live births were registered.
92 still births were registered.
1,799 deaths were registered.
The infantile mortality rate for the year was 30, being the lowest on record.
104 children under 1 year of age died in 1946.
■
CANCER.
There were 319 deaths of Willesden residents from Cancer in 1946, as compared with 282 in 1945.
The two Municipal Cancer Clinics were continued throughout the year. No new patient attended in 1946.
At the end of 1946, 3 patients remained under observation.
*
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
During the year 1946, 2,644 cases of infectious diseases were notified, as compared with 3,020 in the previous
year.
The following table gives the number of notifications of certain diseases included in the above total of 2,644, together with the corresponding figures for 1945 :¡ª
Table No. 1.
| Number of Cases Notified. | No. of Notified Cases Confirmed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 1946 | 1946 | |
| Diphtheria | 130 | 101 | 58 |
| Scarlet Fever | 253 | 334 | 308 |
| Pneumonia | 339 | 458 | 455 |
| Whooping Cough | 221 | 384 | 377 |
| Erysipelas | 31 | 42 | 37 |
| Measles | 1,568 | 817 | 805 |
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 |
| 1946 | 2,033 | 654 | 2,687 |
The approximate mid-year population, 1946, as supplied by the Ministry of Health, based on ration books,
was 13,920 under 5 years of age and 20,390 between 5 and 15 years of age. It was estimated that 72 per cent. of those
under 5 years and 65 per cent. of those between 5 and 15 years had been immunised at 31st December, 1946.