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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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VITAL STATISTICS
A table comparing the vital statistics for England and
Wales, London, the County Boroughs and small towns is set
out on page 10 and our figures are added for purpose of
comparison.
Our figures are generally more favourable than any of
the others in the table, but one exception merits examination—
deaths from tuberculosis.
Up to the present year, ever since deaths from tuberculosis have been included in the comparative figures, our mortality has been the lowest in the table, as the following analysis shows:
| Year | England & Wales | 126 County Boroughs | 148 Smaller Towns | London | Merton & Morden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.31 |
| 1951 | 0.31 | 0.37 | 0.31 | 0.38 | 0.22 |
| 1950 | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.33 | 0.39 | 0.33 |
| 1949 | 0.45 | 0.52 | 0.42 | 0.52 | 0.39 |
| 1948 | 0.51 | 0.59 | 0.46 | 0.63 | 0.46 |
It may be significant that our figure for 1952 is exactly
the same as that for the County of London and five of the
excess deaths occurred in the two weeks following the Smog.
Also, in seeking to discover the reason for this increase, the
interesting fact came to light that the number of tuberculosis
persons moving into the district during this year was 20 more
than normal. The total of 53 inward transfers is the highest
ever recorded.
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