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
Walthamstow 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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60
Training.—Six probationers obtained the Nursery Nurses
Certificate. The Council agreed to pay the examination fees of
probationers.
Hours of Opening.—The Nurseries were open Monday to
Friday from 8 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. throughout the year.
INFANT MORTALITY
The deaths of infants under one year were:—
| Males. | Females. | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | 52 | 24 | 76 |
| Illegitimate | — | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 52 | 25 | 77 |
The death rate of infants under one year of age per 1,000
live births when calculated on the totals given by the RegistrarGeneral
are therefore:—
Legitimate, 29; Illegitimate, 13; Total, 29.
The total rate constitutes a new low record, which, in addition,
was scored with a very much increased number of total births.
The previous lowest rate was just over 29 in 1939, but in that year
there were only 1,606 births as compared with 2,670 in 1947.
The Infant Mortality Rate for other areas during 1947 was as follows:—
| England and Wales | 41 |
| 126 County Boroughs and Great Towns (including London) | 47 |
| 148 Smaller Towns (25,000 to 50,000) | 36 |
| London | 37 |
Statistics—The statistics shown on the page overleaf are
quoted to compare the Infant Mortality rates in Walthamstow
with those for the whole country. The Walthamstow rates are
considerably lower and the rate of 29 for 1947 is particularly
favourable, especially having regard to the large increase in total
births during the year.