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
Bromley 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bromley]
This page requires JavaScript
Table III. in the Appendix gives all causes of deaths. The following details have been included for comparison
purposes:—
| Respiratory disease . | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.02 |
| Heart disease | 2.3 | 2,6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Cancer | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Tuberculosis | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Premature births | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Infectious disease | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.04 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | |
| Influenza | 0.06 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Infantile Mortality.
The Infantile Mortality Rate for 1936 is 37 per 1,000 births.
Tables II., IV., Y. and VI. in the Appendix should be referred to for statistical material relating to infantile mortality, and for comparison purposes the following details will be found of interest:—
| Year. | Bromley. | England and Wales. |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 50 | 69 |
| 1928 | 49 | 65 |
| 1929 | 46 | 74 |
| 1930 | 41 | 60 |
| 1931 | 47 | 66 |
| 1932 | 33 | 65 |
| 1933 | 41 | 64 |
| 1934 | 43 | 59 |
| 1935 | 27 | 57 |
| 1936 | 37 | 59 |
It has more than once been said that the Infantile
Mortality Rate is an indication of the health of a locality.
If this be true, and there is no reason to doubt it, then
Bromley is in truth a healthy town. We have, I believe,
good reason to be proud of our Maternity and Child
Welfare Service, for in the low Infantile Mortality Rate
we see part of the return for the money and energy
expended in this service. The saving in child life and the
improvement in the health of the child is the foundation
of the Nation's happiness—it is in fact its very life.
In giving consideration to infantile mortality one
should also include other deaths, those that die before