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Public Health Department,
Deptford Town Hall, S.E.14.
Telephones:—
TIDeway 1288.
TIDeway 1360.
July, 1961.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Deptford.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in presenting this report on the health of the Metropolitan
Borough of Deptford for 1960.
Once again the Birth Rate has risen and the Death Rate has fallen but
the Infantile Mortality Rate shows a considerable increase over last year's
figure of 18-79 to 29-21 deaths per thousand live births. 38 deaths of
infants under one year were recorded and of that figure, 24 died before
the end of one week of life. The main medical causes of death in early
infancy are premature birth, congenital defects and infection. At the
moment infection is the only one that responds readily to preventive
action but prematurity can be reduced to a minimum by adequate antenatal
care providing that such care is commenced in the early months of
pregnancy. The precise causes of congenital defects ocurring in the
developing and unborn child are wrapped in the mysteries of heredity and
the germ plasm. It is, of course, known that certain viral diseases contracted
by the mother in early pregnancy or exposure of the parents to
the noxious influences of excessive X-rays or radio-active materials,
either from fall-out or from radio-active isotopes used for medical or
commercial purposes, can damage the genetic pattern of the developing
embryo. It may be that back-ground radiation from the outer cosmos
to which all living matter presumably has been exposed from the primordial
state acts on susceptible genetic matter and predisposes to the
development of mutant genes. Whatever the cause or causes of these
distressing happenings, there is no immediate and obvious application
practicable to preventive medicine.
The total notifications of infectious diseases at 388 reached a new low
figure in the Borough's history. This has been, generally, a good year
for Deptford. There have been no major epidemics although dysentery
has continued to be occasionally troublesome. There was a very gratifying
reduction in the notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis and deaths
from this disease were reduced to seven for the whole year. This speaks
highly for the preventive service organisation from the Chest Clinic at
Harton Street, and I am again indebted to Dr. Rigby for another authoritative
contribution to my report.
The services to old people were greatly expanded by the appointment
of another lady visitor. This has allowed more people to be visited and
each old person to be given more personal supervision. It has also been
possible to extend considerably the laundry service and a home bathing
service has been instituted. The Department has been greatly assisted
in this work by the many voluntary agencies in the Borough and by the
Old People's Welfare Association, as well as by the help which we receive