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METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF FULMAM
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
Fulhara, S.W.6.
July 1944
To the Mayor, Alderman and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the health
of the Borough for the year 1943. In accordance with instructions,
the report is in summariesed form and for reasons of security the
birth rate, death rate and total population figures are not
published. Several matters affecting the health of the Borough
deserve brief comment.
The Infant Mortality Rate. Throughout the war period this has been
fifty or less per thousand children born, until the year 1945 when
a sharp rise to 63 occurred. There are two main groups of causes
responsible for this increase. The first has led to an increase
in the deaths from diarrhoeal diseases. This phenomenon has been
widespread throughout the country and no certain explanation of its
occurrence can yet be given. The exigencies of war may clearly
have affected the quality of the milk supply, if only by producing
some delay in its distribution. On the other hand, there seems
some evidence that we may be witnessing one of those obscure
alterations in the relationship between host and parasite (infecting
micro-organism) which leads over a period of years to the
increased or decreased prevalence of certain diseases. The
periodic outbreak of cerebro-spinal fever, the still longer intervals
between outbreaks of encephalitis lethargica (sleeping sickness) and
the great diminution in the severity of scarlet fever are
illustrations of this altered relationship., to this kind
of altered organic may be due the increase in infantile
diarrhoea.
The second cause of the increased number of infant deaths has
been respiratory disease. This increase was in the main associated
with the influenza and measles outbreaks. The influenza outbreak
which occurred towards the end of the year and which, after four
years of war tensions and strain might have been serious, in the
event proved manageable. In the borough there were during the year
62 more deaths (about 535) from influenza, bronchitis and pneumonia
than had occurred in the previous year.
The maternal mortality rate (2.70) was slightly lower than that
for the previous year. and compared reasonably well with that both
for London and for the country as a whole. It was, nevertheless,
with this exception higher than for any year since 1937 In
considering maternal health it is a pleasure to draw attention to
the splendid use the public are making of the Council's ante-natal
facilities. 1810 children were born during the year, but 1903
women made first attendances during the same calender period at the
clinics. 2061 individual ante-natal patients attended the clinics
during the year, some of course having first attended during 1942.
The total ante-natal attendances wore much the highest in the
history of the borough, being 12,241 as compared with 3,059 in 1937
towards the latter end of which the Parson's Green clinic and Maternity
Home was first opened. Here is proof, if proof were needed, that
the public appreciate and utilise good facilities. Further proof
is the fact that the twenty beds at the maternity home accommodated
475 mothers and 63 ante-natal cases. The heavy pressure on beds
and space which this practical appreciation of municipal facilities
has caused has given some anxiety at times to the medical and
nursing staffs, but good management and possibly some good fortune
have obviated any ill consequences. It is also worth noting that the
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