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4
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my Annual Report for 1952 on
the work of the Public Health Department. This report is prepared
in an abbreviated form in accordance with the instructions of the
Ministry of Health.
I am again able to report that the general health of the community
has remained good and that there was no serious outbreak of any
infectious disease.
There was a slight rise in the Birth Rate from 17.9 in 1951 to
19.1 which is the highest rate since 1947.
The crude Death Rate was 13.4. This may be regarded as
generally satisfactory, although not as good as the very low rate of
11.7 that prevailed in 1950. It is, however, slightly lower than the
rate for 1951 which was 14.3.
I am particularly happy to be able to report that the Infant
Mortality Rate was 16.2. This is considerably lower than the
previous record for this Borough, namely 19.4 in 1950, and compares
very satisfactorily with the rate of 27.6 for England and Wales as a
whole, and with the rate of 23.8 for the Administrative County of
London. It must rank as one of the lowest in the country. It is
also very pleasing to call attention to the fact that there were no
deaths among illegitimate infants. This is the first occasion on
which it has been possible to make such a statement, the mortality
rate hitherto having always been slightly higher than that for legitimate
infants, and at one time as much as nearly one out of every
two illegitimate children born.
I am again able to report that there were no maternal deaths.
There was no material change in the Death Rate from Tuberculosis
or in the Still-birth Rate,