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4
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF FULHAM
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
TOWN HALL, PULHAM, S.W.6.
July, 1956.
To: The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present to you my annual report on the health and sanitary
circumstances in the Borough of Fulham for the year 1956, together with that of your
Public Analyst, Mr. T. McLachlan, A.C.G.F.C., F.R. I.C.
I am pleased to report on the continued satisfactory state of public health in the
Borough during the year.
Population
The number of births exceeded deaths by 411, so there was a natural increase of
population. The Registrar General's estimate of the population as at the middle of 1956
was 117,100.
Births
The number of births was 1,735 - 912 males and 823 females, giving a rate of 14.82
Per 1,000 population.
Deaths
There were 1,324 deaths of Fulham residents during the year, giving a general death
rate of 11.31 - the figure for 1955 being 11.0.
Diseases of the heart and other coronary conditions (including stress diseases) -
372, were again responsible for the largest number of deaths and showed an increase on
the 1955 figure (341).
Deaths from cancer were not materially different from the previous year.
There was a slight rise in the number of deaths from all accidents, whereas deaths
from motor accidents showed a slight drop.
No death occurred in Fulham attributable to pregnancy or child-birth. It is
gratifying to record a considerable decline in the number of deaths from tuberculosis
i.e. from 27 in 1955 to 14 in 1956; the increased number of notifications of tuberculosis
reflects the earlier detection of the disease.
Infectious Diseases
No major epidemic illness occurred during the year but Fulham did not escape a
series of Poliomyelitis cases (17 confirmed cases). The total number of notifications
of infectious diseases (682) fell considerably compared with 1955 (2,361), when there was
a big measles epidemic. Notifications of scarlet fever fell from 73 in 1955 to 44 in
1956, whilst notifications of dysentery showed an increase of 28.