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
Southall 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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Births and Birth Rate (Figures for 1962 are given in brackets.)
The total number of live births belonging to the district, whether occurring within or
outside the district, was 1,220 (1,065). The illegitimate live births were 106 (99). There were
19 stillbirths (20), 15 legitimate and 4 illegitimate.
A rise in the birth rate (live and still) is recorded from 15-58 in 1960 to 18-86 in 1961,
20.05 in 1962, and now 22.96 in 1963. This figure is the highest in 30 years, (see Graph A)
and almost double the figure for 1952. The birth rate is the number of births per 1,000 of
the total population.
One hundred and six illegitimate live births were registered during 1963. The following table gives the comparative figures for the past 25 years, showing that 1963 has the highest figure recorded during that period.
| Year | No. of Illegitimate Live Births |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 34 |
| 1940 | 31 |
| 1941 | 30 |
| 1942 | 38 |
| 1943 | 39 |
| 1944 | 55 |
| 1945 | 60 |
| 1946 | 56 |
| 1947 | 53 |
| 1948 | 53 |
| 1949 | 39 |
| 1950 | 36 |
| 1951 | 28 |
| 1952 | 26 |
| 1953 | 31 |
| 1954 | 23 |
| 1955 | 21 |
| 1956 | 38 |
| 1957 | 37 |
| 1958 | 42 |
| 1959 | 55 |
| 1960 | 66 |
| 1961 | 80 |
| 1962 | 99 |
| 1963 | 106 |
To make an approximate allowance for the way in which the sex and age distribution
of the local population differs from that for England and Wales as a whole, the birth rate is
multiplied by a comparability factor supplied by the Registrar-General. The corrected live
birth rate was 23.65. The corresponding rate for the whole of England and Wales was 18.2;
this was the highest national birth rate since the year 1947 and the rate for Southall was well
above it.
Infant Mortality
Infant mortality, i.e. the number of children dying before reaching the age of one year,
rose slightly in 1963. Twenty-seven infants died compared with 24 in 1962, giving a rate of
22.13 per 1,000 live births compared with 22.54 in 1962. Of these 27 deaths, two died at
home and twenty-five in hospital. Twenty-one infants (eleven male and ten female) died
within the first four weeks after birth. Nineteen babies were stillborn, making a stillbirth rate
of 15.6 compared with the national figure of 17.3 per 1,000 live births.
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