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5
To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan
Borough of Bethnal Green.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the Annual Report for the year 1949.
Dr. C. Porter continued to hold the appointment of Acting Medical
Officer of Health until I commenced duty in June, 1949.
General Standard of Health.
The general standard of health in the Borough during the year
may be regarded as satisfactory. The total number of notifications of
compulsorily notifiable disease received during 1949 was 974 as compared
with 1,475 in 1948.
The number of cases of Acute Poliomyelitis (8) did, however, show
an increase as compared with the number (1) for the previous year. No
deaths from this disease occurred during the year.
Vital Statistics.
The Birth Rate for the Borough was 17.5 per 1,000 population as
compared with 18.9 for the year 1948.
The recorded death rate per 1,000 population was 12.6, the
standardised rate 13.7 and that for the country as a whole 11.7.
The recorded rate for the Borough is slightly higher than for 1948
(10.9), the increase being attributed mainly to the increased number of
deaths from cancer and respiratory diseases.
Housing.
During the year a slum clearance survey of the whole Borough
was carried out by the Public Health Department, details of which have
been forwarded to the London County Council with a view to
co-ordinated action being taken in relation to the areas revealed in the
survey.
Food Hygiene.
Every effort has been made by officers of the Public Health
Department to raise the general standard of cleanliness and personal
hygiene in relation to the handling and distribution of food in the
Borough. A letter was addressed to the food traders asking for
co-operation in this matter which was followed by visits of the inspectorial
staff when advice on any particular problem was given to the trader
concerned.