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CAM 48
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
Camberwell, S.E.5.
May, 1954.
To 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 1953
which has been prepared in accordance with the requirements
of Ministry of Health Circular 1/54 dated the 12th January, 1954.
As this is my last Annual Report as Medical Officer of
Health for the Borough of Camberwell, it gives me great satisfaction
to record that there was no serious outbreak of infectious
disease during the year nor any other occurrence which interfered
with the satisfactory maintenance of the good health of its
inhabitants. It will be remembered that my Annual Report
for 1951 presented a comprehensive survey of the Public Health
Service of the Borough during the last 30 years and it would be
pointless therefore to cover the ground again before my retirement.
The Registrar-General's estimate of the population of the
Borough at mid-year was 180,200 which is 1,000 less than the
previous year's figure. The death rate dropped by one point
to 12.1 deaths per thousand of the population. Slight decreases
also occurred in the tuberculosis and maternal mortality rates.
The infant death rate, however, increased from 23.6 in 1952
to 26.4 last year.
The birth rate, which has been steadily falling since the
end of World War II, continued its downward trend and dropped
a further eight points to 15.3 per thousand of the population.
Every endeavour was made to accelerate improvement in
the housing situation by the provision of new accommodation
under the building programmes of both the Borough Council
and the London County Council. Action was also taken
under the Public Health and Housing Acts to keep properties
in a reasonable state of repair; closing and demolition orders
were made in respect of houses and parts of buildings which
could not be rendered fit at a reasonable expense and slum clearance
operations were continued.
The smoke-fog of December, 1952, which gave rise to
such a sharp increase in the number of deaths in London stimulated
interest in the subject of smoke abatement and much energy