View report page

7
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
TOWN HALL, GREENWICH. S.E.10.
To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors.
Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the Annual Report on the
health of Greenwich for 1961. According to the census taken in
April the population declined to 85,885, and the Registrar General's
mid-year figure of 85,240 estimates a further reduction. A
preliminary report on the census indicated that there has been an
increase of 17.3% of private dwellings but only 1.6% of private
individual householders since the last census 10 years ago.
The birth rate shows a small increase and illegitimate births
have also increased by 36.4% over the last year. At the same
time the infantile mortality rate has risen by almost the same
proportion. Usually this is not without significance because as a
general rule the ante natal care sought by unmarried mothers is
much less comprehensive and of course this lack of care is reflected
in higher mortality rates. For the current year, however, this is
not borne out by the Borough figures. Once again, prematurity
and congenital malformations constitute the greater proportion of
infant deaths and, as expected, deaths within the first week of life
predominated. Congenital malformations are very much in our
minds at the moment. Certain virus diseases, particularly german
measles, contracted in early pregnancy can damage the developing
foetus and some drugs which in the normal way may bring
indispensible benefits, have been shown to have disastrous effects
in early pregnancy. This is not the place to discuss the wider
national implications of these distressing findings but two points
can be made. A woman in early pregnancy should be protected
as far as possible from contracting infectious diseases, particularly
the virus diseases. If known to have been exposed she should be
given the appropriate anti-serum, if one exists, to give temporary
passive protection. Fortunately most women, by the time they reach
maturity, have acquired strong immunity to the infectious diseases
and it is only the rare case which is found to be susceptible.
Nevertheless, with the decline in the incidence of infectious
diseases it may soon be possible to lead a normal active life and
perhaps not be exposed to these infectious diseases which are
gradually being eliminated.
The second point which should be stressed is that drugs, apart
from minerals such as iron and calcium and food supplements.