London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Willesden 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
This page requires JavaScript
BOROUGH OF WILLESDEN
Health Department,
54, Winchester Avenue,
Kilburn, London, N.W.C.
October, 1948.
To the Corporation of Willesden.
1 beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Report for Willesden for the year 1947.
VITAL STATISTICS.
3,753 live births were registered.
02 still births were registered.
1,846 deaths were registered.
118 children under 1 year of age died.
The infantile mortality rate for the year was 31.
CANCER.
There were 311 deaths of Willesden residents from Cancer in 1947, as compared with 319 in 1946.
The two Municipal Cancer Clinics were continued throughout the year. No new patients attended in 1947.
At the end of 1947, 1 patients remained under observation.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
During the year 1947, 3,196 cases of infectious diseases were notified, as compared with 2,644 in the previous
year.
The following table gives the number of notifications of certain diseases included in the above total of 3,196,
together with the corresponding figures for 1946 :—
Table No. 1.
| Number of Cases Notified. | No. of Notified Cases Confirmed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 1947 | 1947 | |
| Diphtheria | 101 | 63 | 12 |
| Scarlet Fever | 334 | 284 | 261 |
| Pneumonia | 458 | 263 | 248 |
| Whooping Cough | 384 | 589 | 571 |
| Erysipelas | 42 | 55 | 52 |
| Measles | 817 | 1,451 | 1,434 |
Diphtheria Immunisation .—The number of children who have completed a full course of immunisation since 1942 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. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1947 | 1,808 | 156 | 1,964 |
The approximate mid-year population, 1947, as supplied by the Ministry of Health, based on ration books,
was 15,100 under 5 years of age and 20,830 between 5 and 15 years of age. It was estimated that 60 per cent, of those
under 5 years and 74.5 per cent. of those between 5 and 15 years had been immunised at 31st December, 1947.