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CAM 35
Public Health Department,
Town Hall, Camberwell, S. E. 5.
September 1947.
The Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell.
Mr. Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1946 which
has been prepared In accordance with the directions of Ministry of
circular No.13/47 dated 13th March 1947.
It is gratifying to record that the health of the inhabitants
of the Borough continued to be satisfactory. The Registrar-General's
estimate of the civilian population, viz., 164,380, showed an increase
of nearly 29 ,000 over the figure for the previous year. There was
also a further Increase in the birth rate which, was 23.4 as compared
with 19.5 in 1945, while the death rate dropped from 14.5 to 13.5.
The maternal mortality rate also showed, a decrease, the figure
being 1.2 for 1946 as compared with 2.2 for the previous year. The
infantile mortalit rate, however, rose slightly from 34 to 38 infant
deaths per 1,000 live births.
Deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis numbered 89 - 29 less than in
1945, and the mortality figure from all forms of tuberculosis was 99 -
a drop of 27.
The number of notifications of infectious diseases received during
the year was 2732 as compared with 2363 in 1945, the greatest Increases
being recorded in the incidence of measles and whooping cough which
were respectively 113 and 291 more than during the preceding year.
Notifications of cases of scabies, however, numbered 182 fewer than in
Unremitting efforts to secure the immunisation of as many young
children as possible against diphtheria were continued during the
year. A reflection of the propaganda activities of the Council in
this direction appears in the table on page 4 which shows that 557
more persons were immunised against this disease during 1946 than in
the preceding 12 months. In addition, a considerable number of
"booster" injections were given to persons who had previously been
immunised.
As a result of the rising birth rate, the Infant Welfare Centre
Service was called upon to deal with an increasing number of attendances
particularly of children under the age of 1 year. The total
attendances at all Centres numbered 47,115 which was 11,481 or 32%
higher than the figure for 1945.
Similar increases occurred in other sections of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Service; the figures for the provision of Home Helps,
Domiciliary Nursing, Minor Ailments Treatment and the issue to expectant
mothers of priority dockets for sheets all having risen considerably
above those for 1945.
In the early part of the year the Council decided, in view of the
strong demand for women in industry, to continue the War-time Day
Nursery Service as a post-war feature of the Maternity and Child
Welfare Scheme. At the same time consideration was given to the terms
of the Joint Circular from the Ministers of Health and Education issued
at the end of 1945, particularly the suggestions for implementing the
Service by the provision of schemes of registered daily guardians,
evening "sitters-in", and the establishment of afternoon creches at
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres.