London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wanstead and Woodford 1947

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead and Woodford]

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9. Premature Infants
During the year 50 premature infants were born to mothers belonging
to the Borough. 11 of these births took place at home, and 39 in hospital
or nursing home. 41 of these (82 per cent.) were alive at the end of one
month.
10. Infantile Mortality Rate
The infantile mortality rate for the year was 30.8 per 1,000; deaths in
infants under 1 year totalled 37, 18 of these occurring within four weeks of
birth.
Causes were as follows:—
Lung conditions 20
Gastro enteritis 2
Congenital 8
Prematurity 6
Other causes 1
11. Health Visiting
Number of visits paid during the year by Health Visitors:—
To children under 1 year of age—First visits 1,183
Total visits 2,827
To children between one and five years of age 1,758
12. Child Life Protection
The Health Visitors are appointed Child Life Protection Visitors under
Part VII of the Public Health Act, 1936. Ten Foster Mothers and twelve
Foster Children were on the register at the end of the year.
A total of 181 visits was paid.
Section C. Sanitary Circumstances of the Area.
1. Water Supply.
The Water Service throughout the Borough is supplied by the Metropolitan
Water Board. Routine tests carried out by the Board reveal that
the supply has been satisfactory in quality and quantity.
2. Drainage and Sewerage
I am indebted to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for the following
information:—
(a) Eastern Sewage Disposal Works. These Works continue to function
satisfactorily and effluents of the standards required by the Essex County
Council have been obtained.
(b) Southern Sewage Disposal Works. Despite the fact that these
Works are scheduled for extension quite reasonable effluents have been
obtained throughout the year.
(c) Western Sewage Disposal Works. These Works are obsolete and
it is only by constant supervision that normal standards of discharge are
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