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1
Town Hall,
Hammersmith, W.6.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have very much pleasure in presenting to you my Annual
Report for 1952. I regret that it is not possible to publish it in
the earlier months of the year. As is explained in Ministry of
Health Circular 2/53 and Article 14 (3) of the Sanitary Officers'
Order, 1926, it is necessary to wait for the Registrar General to
furnish vital statistics which must not be omitted from the Annual
Report of any Medical Officer of Health.
The general health of our citizens continued to be very
satisfactory. As the result of an increase of births over deaths,
and other factors, the number of old people further increased.
The great fog of December 5th to 9th was responsible for the
deaths of 28 of our elderly persons.
Poliomyelitis did not return in its 1949 strength and 11
cases were notified between May and November. One death
occurred amongst this number. I think the Borough is fortunate
in having available for the treatment of poliomyelitis the Western
Fever Hospital which rightly has a very high reputation for this
highly specialised technique.
Other infectious diseases also did not occur in serious proportions
except measles, which, as in 1951, exceeded 1,500 cases
during the year. No case of diphtheria occurred and I have
very much pleasure in reporting that no adult or child has died
from this disease since April, 1944.
The infant mortality rate was 21 and the number of maternal
deaths numbered two.
It perhaps does not need emphasis that it is still more
hazardous for an illegitimate child to survive as compared with
one born in wedlock. The death rate for illegitimate children
during the year was almost double that of legitimate infants.
This difference is a worsening of the position compared with the
previous three years.
The incidence of new cases of tuberculosis continued at
approximately the same level as the average for the last five
years but the deaths from this condition tended to become less.
The deaths from cancer again show an increase and these
have now taken second place in the killing diseases from lung
conditions, the first on the list being diseases affecting the heart
and important blood vessels.
I commented in my 1951 Report upon the extraordinary
increase of cancer of the lung in the Borough, I now have to