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

Woolwich 1915

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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Table: 17. The following table gives the infantile mortality during the past five years, and the five preceding Quinquennia in the Borough and each Registration District:—

17. The following table gives the infantile mortality during the past five years, and the five preceding Quinquennia in the Borough and each Registration District:—

1886.1890.1891.1895.1896.1900.1901.1905.1906.1910.1911.1912.1913.1914.1915.
Woolwich Parish*151157170134109110948594123
Plumstead—
West1211201321139110453677773
East8281846891
Eltham—16316097896452627284
Woolwich Borough—140146119979873808495

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* 1888, 1889 and 1890.
There was a marked increase in Woolwich parish, East
Plumstead and Eltham, but most in the former.
18. Table IV. gives full details as to the ages at death
and causes of death of the 268 infants dying in 1915 under
1 year. It shows that 30 per cent. of those who died under
1 year were under one month old, compared with 41 per cent,
in 1914 and 38 per cent. in the previous ten years ; 50 deaths
were from premature birth, compared with 51, 51, 52, 41 and
53 in the five preceding years. The number of deaths under
one week in the past five years was 62, 61, 58, 68 and 55
respectively.
The number of deaths from suffocation or overlying was
6, compared with 1 in 1913 and 2 in 1914. In the previous
four years the deaths from suffocation in bed averaged 4 a
year, and in the four years 1904.7 they averaged 7. This
return to higher figures may be correlated with the increase of
alcoholism among women.