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
Wimbledon 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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The following is an analysis of the one thousand and fifty seven notified births belonging to Wimbledon (i.e. as adjusted by inward and outward transfers): —
| Live births. | Still-births. | |
|---|---|---|
| Domiciliary confinements | 255 | 2 |
| Institutional confinements:— | ||
| Kingston County Hospital | 155 | 2 |
| St. Helier County Hospital | 104 | 5 |
| Dorking County Hospital | 7 | — |
| Nelson Hospital | 250 | 9 |
| Queen Charlotte's Hospital | 12 | — |
| Other hospitals and nursing homes outside the Borough | 86 | 2 |
| Wimbledon Nursing Homes | 164 | 4 |
| 1,033 | 24 |
DEATHS.
The total number of Wimbledon residents who died during
1946 was seven hundred and forty three (three hundred and forty
nine males and three hundred and ninety four females). Of these
two hundred and eighty eight occurred outside the Borough.
Apart from these figures two hundred and seventy six persons
not normally resident in Wimbledon died in institutions, etc., in the
Borough.
The death-rate for 1946 is 13.51 per thousand of the population
as compared with a rate of 13.38 per thousand during 1945.
As in previous years the following diseases were responsible for over half the total deaths:—
| Percentage of total deaths | ||
|---|---|---|
| Diseases of the heart and circulatory system | 34% | |
| Cancer | 17% | |
| Diseases of the respiratory system | 15% | |
| Total | 66% | |
There was only one death from infectious disease. This was
due to cerebro-spinal fever.
There was one death from diarrhoea in a child under the age
of two years.
The following is an analysis of the causes of death: —
| Cause | Males | Females | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers | — | — | — |
| 2. | Cerebro-spinal Fever | 1 | — | 1 |
| 3. | Scarlet Fever | — | — | — |
| 4. | Whooping Cough | — | — | — |
| 5. | Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| 6. | Tuberculosis of Respiratory System | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| 7. | Other forms of Tuberculosis | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 8. | Syphilitic Diseases | 5 | — | 5 |