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

View report page

Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Merton and Morden 1951

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

BIRTHS.
870 live births were registered during the year and 11 stillbirths,
giving a total of 881 births. There has been a steady
steep fall in the number of births in the past five years since the
peak year 1947, when there were 1,345 births. The birth rate
is 11.73, the lowest ever recorded.

Table: Illegitimate Births.There were 28 illegitimate births, a slight increase over last year, but the illegitimate birth rate would seem to have fallen from the high level of the war and immediate post-war years. The appended table shows the levels since 1937.

Illegitimate Births.There were 28 illegitimate births, a slight increase over last year, but the illegitimate birth rate would seem to have fallen from the high level of the war and immediate post-war years. The appended table shows the levels since 1937.

YearNo illegitimate live birthsRate per thousand live births
19372125.9
19383131.3
19392726.9
19102929.9
19414047.2
19423936.5
19435749.7
19444942.6
19456361.3
19464535.7
19473828.3
19484238.6
19493737.5
19502324.5
19512832.2

Text

Copy text to clipboard

INSTITUTIONAL AND DOMICILIARY BIRTHS.
The appended tabular statement shows the distribution of
births in the area as between the various institutions catering
for our mothers :—
St. Helier Hospital 419
Nelson Hospital 276
St. Theresa's Hospital 15
Kingston Hospital 13
Other hospitals, institutions and nursing homes 62
785
15