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 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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Table No. 1 contains extracts from the vital statistics for the year, with comparable figures for 1947. Table No. 2 shows details of causes of death.
T
| 1948. | 1947. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (Registrar-General's Estimate) | 142,800 | 140,150 | |
| Live Births—Legitimate | 2,417 | 3,074 | |
| Live Births—Illegitimate | 110 | 119 | |
| 2,527 | 3,193 | ||
| Birth Rate | 17.7 | 22.8 | |
| Still Births | 44 | 65 | |
| Still-births—Rate per 1,000 total births | 17.5 | 20 | |
| Deaths | 1,573 | 1,626 | |
| Death Rate | 11 | 11.6 | |
| Deaths from puerperal causes :— | |||
| (a) From sepsis | - | 1 | |
| 1 | 2 | ||
| Death rate from puerperal causes per 1,000 total births | 043 | 0.92 | |
| Deaths of Infants under one year | 74 | 87 | |
| Death rate of Infants under one year of age :— | |||
| 29.28 | 27.25 | ||
| (6) Legitimate infants | 26.9 | 26.7 | |
| (c) Illegitimate infants | 54.5 | 42 | |
| Deaths from Cancer (all ages) | 279 | 260 | |
| Deaths from Whooping Cough | 1 | - | |
| Deaths from Diarrhoea (under two years of age) | 2 | 7 | |
Births. The number of live births registered in Woolwich in 1948 was 2,094.
After correction for inward and outward transfer, the nett number of Woolwich
live births was 2,527, 1,313 being males and 1,214 females. It is known that at least
1,883 births took place in Institutions. The birth rate was 17.7, compared with
22.8 in 1947 and 21.6 in 1946. For the year 1948, the birth rate for England and
Wales was 17.9. In addition, there were 44 stillbirths, 26 being males and 18
females.
Natural Increase in Population (i.e., excess of births over deaths). In
1946 the natural increase in population was 1,372; in 1947, 1,567; in 1948, 954;
compared with 368 in 1936 ; 465 in 1937 ; and 483 in 1938.
Deaths. The number of deaths registered in Woolwich was 1,077, the nett
number of Woolwich deaths being 1,573, giving a death rate of 110 for the Borough.
Deaths of Woolwich residents in hospitals in the Borough totalled 300, whilst 361
died in other hospitals within the London area.
Of the total number of deaths, 279 were from cancer, of which 138 occurred in
males and 141 in females. The total deaths from cancer in 1947 was 260.
Of the total of 74 deaths of infants under 1 year, 54 occurred in infants under
1 month and of these 45 were children under 1 week.
During 1948, there was only 1 maternal death, compared with 3 in 1947.