Another day, another of my favourite websites. This one features in my ‘In Sickness and in Death: researching the ill-health and deaths of your ancestors’ online course. So, M is for Medical Officers of Health.

The Public Health Act of 1848 introduced the role of local Medical Officers of Health, who had to report on conditions in their own areas. Those for London boroughs from 1848-1972 are available on the Wellcome Library website. These give summaries of causes of death and report particular problems in the area. They may also mention severe weather conditions and public health problems. It is also worth seeing if any are available in the local archives that cover your ancestral areas.

For more detail about medical statistics see the Wellcombe Library Guide.

Many of the entries in this year’s advent calendar are based on my book Family Historian’s Enquire Within. I would be very grateful if anyone in the UK wanting to buy a copy would get in touch with me directly (there will be no charge for UK postage). I am trying to free up book storage space ready for novel two arriving!