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 1917
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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6. The following table gives the birth rate of the Borough during the years 1901-5, 1906—10, 1911-1915, 1916 and 1917, and, for the purposes of comparison, the corresponding; rates of the neighbouring Boroughs, London, and England:-
| BIRTH RATE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-5 | 1906-10 | 1911-15 | 1916 | 1917 | |
| Greenwich Borough | 27.6 | 26.5 | 25.1 | 24.6 | 21.1 |
| Lewisham | 25.7 | 23.3 | 20.2 | 20.4 | 16.5 |
| West Ham | 33.1 | 31.4 | 29.7 | 28.8 | 23.2 |
| East Ham | 33.8 | 24.4 | 22.1 | 18.5 | |
| Erith | 34.1 | 24.8 | 23.1 | 20.0 | |
| London | 28.2 | 26.5 | 24.7 | 23.0 | 17.4 |
| England & Wales | 28.2 | 26.0 | 23.5 | 21.6 | 17.8 |
| Woolwich Borough | 29.2 | 25.3 | 22.2 | 21.7 | 17.1 |
7. The following table gives the birth-rate for the Borough
and each Registration District for the five past quinquennia and
for 1916 and 1917, the rates for the Registration Districts being
calculated on the civil population. Correction has been made for
births in the Infirmary, the Wood Street Heme for Mothers and
Babies and outlying institutions, and the births distributed to
the parishes to which they properly belong.
West Plumstead ana Eltham had the lowest birth-rate of
the four Registration Districts.
Although the birth-rate in Eltham has fallen very much sinoe 1916, it was still higher than in the five years 1911-15. The greatest decrease since 1911-15 is in the parish of Woolwich.
| 1891 to 1895 | 1896 to 1900 | 1901 to 1905 | 1906 to 1910 | 1911 to 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolwich Borough | 32.5 | 30.2 | 29.2 | 25.3 | 22.2 | 21.7 | 17.1* |
| Woolwich Parish | 31.1 | 30.1 | 29.0 | 27.9 | 25.2 | 21.5 | 19.6ø |
| Plumstead - West | 33.3 | 31.0 | 30.1 | 24.7 | 20.7 | 21.6 | 17.4ø |
| East | 22.7 | 20.5 | 18.7ø | ||||
| Eltham Parish | 22.8 | 20.6 | 24.0 | 21.6 | 17.3 | 23.5 | 18.2ø |
*Total population used.
øCivil population used: number of soldiers not known, but very small.
8. Illegitimate Births. 101 of the births registered were
illegitimate, giving a rate of 37 per 1,000 births, compared with
17, 23, 21, 29 and 34 in the five preceding years. The steady
increase since 1914 is probably bit a very partial measure of
the increased immorality due to war conditions.
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