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
Southall-Norwood 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall-Norwood]
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II
of persons dying in the Workhouse and Isolation Hospital from your
District (5), and of strangers dying within the District but not
belonging thereto.
Deaths which occurred in the London County Asylum are not
included, since we are concerned only with those deaths occurring
amongst members of our population proper.
The death rate calculated on the population for 1902 is 12"2 per 1,000—distributed as follows:—
| West Ward, 12.2 per 1000. | East Ward, 11.5 per 1000. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year. | Deaths. | Rate. | Population. | Year. | Deaths. | Rate. Population. | |
| 1883 | 102 | 24.2 | 4164 | 1893 | 63 | 11.5 | 5456 |
| 1884 | 84. | 20.2 | - | 1894 | 63 | 10.9 | 5756 |
| 1885 | 83 | 19.9 | - | 1895 | 93 | 13.9 | 6684 |
| 1886 | 77 | 16.8 | - | 1896 | 91 | 12.6 | 7184 |
| 1887 | 66 | 15.8 | - | 1897 | 90 | 11.3 | 7913 |
| 1888 | 55 | 13.2 | - | 1898 | 121 | 14.1 | 8531 |
| 1889 | 77 | 16.8 | - | 1899 | 136 | 14.6 | 9311 |
| 1890 | 83 | 19.9 | - | 1900 | 147 | 13.2 | 11199 |
| 1891 | 64 | 12.3 | 5188 | 1901 | 168 | 16.0 | 10477 |
| 1892 | 75 | 14.4 | - | 1902 | 156 | 12.2 | 12680 |
As a consequence of the decrease in the number of deaths and
the large increase in the population, and there is a very considerable
fall in the rate per 1,000 living. It would not be correct to lay too
great stress on the lowness of the rate per se since the population has
been abnormally increased during the year by the immigration of
young adults. This is shown by the very high birth rate. A low
death rate and a very high birth rate is however a very favourable
indication, and especially since the birth rate has been abnormally
high for the last few years, and has thus increased the most perishable
portion of the population. A comparison of the Sanitary condition
of the two Wards of the District from a consideration of the Birth
and Death Rates shows that in the West Ward the number of deaths
has been somewhat higher, being 12.2 per 1,000 as compared with
11.5 in the East; and the Birth Rate 38.1 in the West as compared
with 35.0 in the East.
No accurate conclusion can be drawn from these figures as
regards the comparative healthiness of the two Wards The most
important Statistical evidence of the healthiness is furnished by
Zymotic Death Rate and the Infant Mortality. (See pages 13, 14).
There has been a marked decline in the death rate from Zymotic
Diseases during the past two years, and the Infant Mortality is 47.2
per 1,000 less than that for last year.
The rate in the West Ward has been higher in both cases than
in the East, and it has also been slightly higher in the case of
Respiratory Death Rate, so that from Statistical evidence one must
say that the general Sanitary or Social conditions of the East Ward
are better than those of the West, and that as regards the District as
a whole it is satisfactory.