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PREFACE.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the health of
the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea for 1928.
The report is an " Ordinary " report as defined in the appropriate
circular of the Ministry of Health. The Ministry's programme stipulates
that for each series of five years from 1925 onwards there shall be published
one Survey and four Ordinary reports. Ordinary reports are exp ected
to deal with the sanitary circumstances, the sanitary administion,
and the vital statistics relating to the District for the year under review
Any further action of importance in the organization or development of
public health services contemplated by the Local Authority or considered
desirable by the Medical Officer of Health must also be dealt with.
The chief vital statistics relating to the year are as follows : The civil
population is estimated by the Registrar-General at 63,630 a figure
which is below that for last year. The birth rate (12-6) is lower than
that for last year (13-4). The marriage rate (10-5) is approximately
the same as that for last year (10-8). The death rate (13-5) is higher
than that for London generally (11-6) and compares with 14-1 last year,
It is, perhaps, not generally realised that nearly 9 per cent. of the Chelsea
population is made up of persons over 65 years of age —a much higher
proportion than that obtaining in any other Metropolitan Borough
and that one-half of all deaths in Chelsea occur in persons over 65 years
of age. The infant mortality rate was 48 as compared with (76) last
year —-the lowest infant mortality rate ever recorded in the Borough
The total incidence of notifiable infectious disease was diminishev
last year. The numbers of cases of pneumonia and scarlet fe ver were
much less, while those of diphtheria and erysipelas showed a slight
increase. At the end of the year there were 293 cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis and 68 cases of non-pulmonary tuberculosis known to be
living in the Borough —a total lower than that for last year. These
figures indicate that the general improvement in the public health
of the Borough continues to be maintained.
Maternity and Child Welfare work has continued to grow in extent and
in usefulness during the year. The attendances at the welfare centre
were 5,984 in 1928 and 8,062 visits to homes of patients were recorded
I continued to receive most valuable assistance from the Chelsea Health
Society, and cannot speak too highly of the efficiency of the Society
work.