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4
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my Annual Report for 1950 on
the work of the Public Health Department. This report is prepared
as in previous years in an abbreviated form in accordance with
instructions given by the Ministry of Health.
I am glad to be able to report that the general health of the
community has remained good, and there was no incidence of
infectious disease giving rise to any concern other than a small
outbreak of Typhoid Fever which remained localised to one house.
There was little change in the Birth and Death rates which
were 17.3 and 11.7 respectively.
The infant mortality continued to fall and reached the
remarkably low figure of 19.4 per thousand live births.
A new classification has been introduced into the causes of
death. This has been necessitated by international agreement in an
attempt to make statistics in the various parts of the world more
readily comparable. In many ways the new method will probably
be more satisfactory as it accords better with circumstances
which now prevail, and is more consonant with present-day medical
conceptions of diseases. It will, however, make comparisons in future
years with those that have passed more difficult.
The Sanitary conditions generally remained satisfactory, though
many open sites remain a potential danger to health by the deposit
on them of refuse. There has been some outward improvement in
the appearance of property which has helped to disperse some of the
cheerlessness to be found in the district.
It is pleasing to record that the Council's Post-War housing
programme continues to make satisfactory progress.