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
Harrow 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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8
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
OF THE AREA
Area (in acres) 12,555
Registrar-General's estimate of resident population mid-year
1956 216,200
Rateable Value (1st April, 1956) £2,180,275
Sum represented by a penny rate (1st April, 1956) £9,563
Total number of occupied houses 55,180
Total number of occupied flats 8,880
Extracts from Vital Statistics for the Year
| Live Births:— | Total | Male Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | 2,674 | 1,365 | 1,309 | Birth rate per 1,000 population 12.9 |
| Illegitimate | 117 | 53 | 64 | |
| Total | 2,791 | 1,418 | 1,373 | |
| Stillbirths:— | ||||
| Legitimate | 55 | 33 | 22 | Rate per 1,000 births 20.4 |
| Illegitimate | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 58 | 35 | 23 | |
| Deaths | 1,903 | 958 | 945 | Rate per 1,000 population 88 |
| Deaths of infants under one year of age | 59 | |||
| Infant mortality rate | 21.1 | |||
| Legitimate infant mortality rate | 19.8 | |||
| Illegitimate infant mortality rate | 51.3 | |||
| Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth: | 2 | Rate per 1,000 total births 0.7 | ||
| Deaths from Cancer | 420 | |||
| „ „ Measles | 0 | |||
| „ „ Whooping Cough | 0 | |||
| ,, ,, Tuberculosis | 16 | |||
Population
The mid-year population of the district was estimated to be 216,200.
This includes members of the armed forces stationed in the district.
In each of the post-war years the population of the district increased
to reach the highest figure of 222,300 in 1950. From that time there has
been a slight fall each year in the estimated population, the mid-year
1956 figure being 216,200 a fall of 900 on that of the previous year. This
fall took place in spite of the natural increase in population which is the
excess of births over deaths and which last year was 888. Some at least
of the fall is to be explained by the movement of some families out of the
district to new and to expanded towns. Quite apart from these transfers
though there is a steady movement of population in and out of such
districts as this.