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
West Ham 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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way Company (London, Tilbury, and Southend section) are
within the district. There are extensive docks, consequently one
finds a large number of casual labourers.
West Ham is a densely populated town, having 61 persons
to the acre.
The growth of the district can be observed by the fact that in
1762 the number of houses in the Borough was 700, whereas in
1931 the number was 49,280.
Overcrowding is still very prevalent, and this position is
somewhat aggravated bv reason of the fact that large building
sites are no. longer available.
Summary of General Statistics.
Area (acres) 4,706.
Population—
Census 1931, 294,278.
Estimated population to the middle of 1933, 282,900.
Number of inhabited houses (1931), 49,280.
Number of families or separate occupiers (1931), 72,994.
Average Rateable Value—
General Rate, £1,400,840.
Sum represented by a Penny Rate—General District Rate, £5,837,
Vital Statistics.
| Live Births | Total | Male | Female | Birth Rate | 15.5. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | 4289 | 2178 | 2,111 | ||||
| Illegitimate | 117 | 65 | 52 | ||||
| Still Births, 165 . | Rate per 1,000 total births | 37. | |||||
| Deaths, 3337 | |||||||
| Deaths from diseases and accidents of pregnancy and child birth | from sepsis | 5 | |||||
| from other causes | 3 | ||||||
| Deaths from Measles (all ages) | 1 | ||||||
| Deaths from Whooping Cough (all ages) | 47 | ||||||
| Deaths from Diarrhoea, etc. (under 2 years of age) | 44 | ||||||
| All infants per 1,000 live births | |||||||
| Legitimate infants per 1,000 legitimate births | 63.8 | ||||||
| Illegitimate infants per 1000 illegitimate births | 85.4 | ||||||
In the case of the Great Towns the Birth Rate was 14.4, the
Death Rate 12.2, and the Infant Mortality Rate 67.0, whereas the
Maternal Mortality Rate for England and Wales was 4.42.
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