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

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West Ham 1947

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]

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VITAL STATISTICS, 1947
POPULATION. The population of West Ham as enumerated
at the last census in 1931 was *294/278 persons, of whom
143,714 were males and 150,564 females. The RegistrarGeneral's
estimate of the resident population at the middle of
1947 was 171,870, an estimated increase of 8,140 over the
previous year.
BIRTHS. The actual number of live births allocated to
the Borough during the year was 4,573—the highest number
recorded since 1933—of which 2,320 were of male children and
2,253 of females. Compared with 1946, this represents an
increase of 105 males and 75 females, a total increase of 180
live births. The birth rate for 1947 was 26.6 per 1,000 of the
population, a slight decrease compared with the rate of 26.8
for the previous year.
ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS. Of the 4,573 live births, 214—
99 males and 115 females—were illegitimate. This is equal to
a percentage of 4.6 and is a decrease of 25 illegitimate births
as compared with 1946.
STILLBIRTHS. The number of stillbirths during the year
was 103 ( 60 males and 43 females). Of these, 3 males and 2
females were illegitimate. The stillbirth rate for 1,000 total
(live and still) births for 1947 was 22, as compared with a rate
of 23 for 1946.
DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES. The nett number of
deaths allocated to the Borough for the year was 2,053, giving
a death rate of 11.9 per 1,000 0f the population, as compared
with a rate of 11.7 for 1946. Of these deaths, 1,130 were of
males and 923 of females.
The causes of death at different periods of life as supplied
by the, Registrar-General are given in Table 1. The chief causes
of death are as follows: Heart disease, 535; cancer, 305;,
bronchitis, 189; cerebral haemorrhage, 178; pneumonia, 133;
tuberculosis of the respiratory system, 109.
INFANT MORTALITY. Deaths of infants under one
year of age totalled 190—104 males and 86 females—giving an
infantile mortality rate of 41 per 1,000 live births, as compared
with a rate of 32 for the previous year.
Of the 190 deaths under one year, 155, or 81.5 per cent.,
were due to four causes—congenital malformation and birth
injuries, etc., 48; pneumonia, 39; diarrhoea, 35; and prematurity,
33. It is to increases in the first three causes that
the higher death rate is to be attributed. The cause of these
increases is not quite clear, but it will be recalled that both
winter and summer this year saw more than their fair share of
extreme and unseasonable weather. There seems no reason to
fear that this increase might prove permanent.
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