London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Woolwich 1907

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

This page requires JavaScript

19
will be noted that each of these is a residential Borough, i.e., a
district where those who can afford to chose their locality prefer
to reside. Such people are, for the most part, of the well-to-do
classes, who, being better able to provide against illness and bad
health, have normally a lower death-rate. Correction can be applied
for age distribution but not for class distribution.
17. Lives saved. In the last two years, I have estimated that
384 and 259 lives, respectively, were saved owing to the reduction
of the death-rate. The average death-rate in the years 1896-1905
was 15.4. Such a rate in 1907 would have meant the death of
1992 persons instead of the 1616 who actually died. There was
thus a saving of 376 lives in 1906. This is good in itself, but each
of the 376 lives saved means ten others who have escaped a weakening
illness, or have weathered illness with less damaging effects,
for a lower death-rate means improved health of the surviving
population.
infant mortality.
18. The deaths under one year were only 372 compared with
391 in 1906. Owing, however, to the rapid fall of the birth-rate
the infant mortalily (deaths under one year per 1000 births) was
higher, viz., 113 compared with 111 last year. It was, however,
below the average of the five preceeding years, viz., 119.

The following table gives the infantile mortality in each parish and ward of the Borough during the past seven years, compared with the neighbouring Boroughs, London, and England :—

Average1901-5.1906.1907.
Woolwich Parish134139114
River WardNorth180141127
South139186106
Dockyard Ward11615286
St. Maiy's „149124171
St. George's „12688107

b 2