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
Merton and Morden 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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Climatic Conditions. Rain gauges are installed at the
Joseph Hood Recreation and West Barnes Pumping Station.
The monthly recordings are as shown below: —
RAINFALL, 1947.
| MONTH | JOSEPH HOOD RECREATION GROUND | WEST BARNES PUMPING STATION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inches | Days with o.Iin. or more | Days with o.4in. or more | Inches | Days with o.Iin. or more | Days with o.4in. or more | |
| January | 1.43 | 17 | 13 | 1.57 | 18 | 13 |
| February | .82 | 7 | 4 | 1.53 | 15 | 5 |
| March | 4.98 | 24 | 20 | 5.11 | 27 | 20 |
| April | 1.68 | 10 | 9 | 1.83 | 13 | 10 |
| May | 1.51 | 15 | 12 | 1.67 | 18 | 13 |
| J une | 2.03 | 11 | 10 | 2.15 | 15 | 12 |
| July | 1.19 | 11 | 8 | 1.03 | 9 | 8 |
| August | .38 | 5 | 2 | .26 | 4 | 3 |
| September | 1.25 | 8 | 6 | 1.31 | 10 | 5 |
| October | .24 | 4 | 3 | .14 | 3 | 1 |
| November | 1.15 | 9 | 8 | 1.14 | 10 | 7 |
| December | 2.37 | 13 | 11 | 2.50 | 16 | 12 |
| Total | 19.03 | 134 | 106 | 20.24 | 158 | 109 |
VITAL STATISTICS.
The comparative statistics set out in Table I, page 15,
enables us to see at a glance how our own area has fared during
the year 1947 in respect of these factors which may be regarded
as indicative of the state of health of a population. The table
gives the comparable figures for England and Wales as a whole,
the 126 County Boroughs and Great Towns including London,
the 148 smaller towns, population 25,000 to 50,000 and for the
London Administrative County.
For our own interest an additional column has been added
giving the local figures. It will be seen that except for a lower
birth rate and a higher incidence of whooping cough and
pneumonia, all the local figures are more favourable than those
in the other columns.
Our death rate is 4 per thousand, lower than the best in the
other groups, as is our figure for the deaths of infants under 2
years of age from diarrhoea and enteritis, while our stillbirth rate
is significantly below the others as is the incidence of puerperal
pyrexia. That our more favourable incidence of these infectious
diseases is in no way due to less scrupulous notification is shown
by the fact that we have the highest incidence of pneumonia,
which is probably the least regularly notified of all infectious
diseases.
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