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 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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90
CARE OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN
The action taken under Circular 2866/1944 is fully set out
in the Report for that year.
Every possible step has, as in previous years, been taken to
ensure that the care of illegitimate children does not fall below
that given to children who are legitimate. The figures quoted
below give a comparison between illegitimate and legitimate rates
| Year | Live Births | Infant Deaths | Death Rates per 1,000 Live Births | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | Illegitimate | Legitimate | Illegitimate | Legitimate | Illegitimate | |
| 1949 | 1,771 | 65 | 51 | 28.0 | 46.0 | |
| 1950 | 1,536 | 62 | 41 | 1 | 25.0 | 16.0 |
| 1951 | 1,586 | 51 | 34 | 3 | 21.0 | 58.8 |
| 1952 | 1,446 | 66 | 37 | Nil | 25.6 | Nil |
| 1953 | 1,404 | 50 | 40 | 1 | 28.5 | 20.0 |
| Totals 1949 to 1953 (5 yrs.) | 7,743 | 294 | 203 | 8 | 26.2 | 27.2 |
MORAL WELFARE
The "Carville" Home at 38 The Drive, E.17, is administered
by the Walthamstow Deanery Branch of the Chelmsford Diocesan
Moral Welfare Association. The Home provides accommodation
for a total of 16 mothers and their babies and has a high record of
care and service.
Miss E. Williams, the Superintendent, reports as follows -
"Mothers of all religious denominations are cared for and the work done during 1953 is summarised below
| Admitted | Adults | Babies | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Walthamstow | 12 | 7 | 19 |
| From rest of County | 37 | 27 | 64 |
| From outside the County | 19 | 16 | 35 |
| Totals | 68 | 50 | 118 |
| Outdoor work— | |||
| Walthamstow Cases (Mother and baby placed) | 50 | 18 | 68 |
| Other Essex Cases | 9 | 9 |
"Apart from a small outbreak of influenza, the health of
the mothers and babies has been good.
"Because so many of the mothers were young, the
average stay in the Home was longer.
"We do not have so many Shelter cases now, hence our
number of residents is lower."