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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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ANNUAL REPORT 1959
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA.
Area of Borough 4,689 acres
Population (R.G's mid-year estimate 164,300
Live Births 2,721
Crude birth rate (per 1,000 population) 16.56
Adjusted birth rate (per 1,000 population) 15.24
Illegitimate Live Births (per cent of total live births) 8.45
Still Births 69
Still Birth rate (per 1,000 total live and still births) 25.36
Total Live and Still Births 2,790
Deaths of infants under one year 57
Infant Mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) 20.95
Infant Mortality rate (per 1,000 legitimate births) 20.40
Infant Mortality rate (per 1,000 illegitimate births) 29.00
Neo-natal Mortality rate (deaths under 4 weeks per 1, 000 total live births) 14.33
Early Ne-natal Mortality rate (deaths under 1 week per 1,000 total live births) 13.23
Perinatal Mortality rate (still births and deaths under 1 week combined
per 1,000 total live and still births) 37.63
Maternal Deaths (excluding abortion) none
Maternal Mortality rate (per 1,000 live and still births) nil
Deaths 1,66l
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population) 10.11
Adjusted death rate (per 1,000 population) 12.54
VARIOUS DISEASES: Cases and Deaths
Cases
Notified
Case rate
per 1,000
population
Deaths
Death rate
per 1,000
population
Smallpox
-
-
-
-
Acute Poliomyelitis and Polio Encephalitis
2
0.01
-
-
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers
2
0.01
-
-
Measles
2,716
16.53
-
-
Scarlet Fever
231
1.41
-
-
Whooping Cough
21
0.13
-
-
Diphtheria
-
-
-
-
Influenza
-
-
37
0.23
Dysentery
189
1.15
-
-
Food Poisoning
18
0.11
-
Cancer
-
-
351
2.14
Heart Disease
-
-
570
3.47
Tuberculosis
96
0.58
13
0.08
Pneumonia
133
0.81
127
0.77
Bronchitis
-
-
119
0.72
*The true incidence of these conditions is not known, as there is no statutory
requirement to notify cases.
Acute primary and acut influenzal pneumonia are notifiable under the Public Health
(Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 1953. The figures for the total number of
deaths relate to pneumonia as a whole group, and include other conditions besides
acute primary and acute influenzal pneumonia.
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