View report page

4
The characteristics of the scope of public health and
social work have, over the last half century, been changing
in emphasis from the younger population (child welfare services)
to the older population (old people's welfare). It is estimated
that this change will be accentuated and various calculations
have been made which indicate that the proportion of the
population attaining the age of 65 years or more will greatly
increase in the next decade or so. The hard work carried out
in the first half of the twentieth century in the child welfare
and school medical services has been rewarded in many directions
by the generally improved health of the child population. It
is only to be expected that much labour will be similarly
expended in the second half of the century under the heading
of Old People's Welfare.
VITAL STATISTICS
The table set out on the next two pages (following the
graphs opposite), gives the important vital statistics for
1953, together with comparative figures for the previous
seven years.