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3
Public Health Department,
33-35, Lancaster Grove,
N.W.3.
To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you an Abridged Annual Report
upon the state of the Public Health in the Metropolitan Borough of
Hampstead for the year 1947. This report is the 47th of the series.
I am glad to record that the health of the borough has been good, as is
witnessed by the very satisfactory figures given in the statistical section
of the report. The population of Hampstead is higher today than in
all its history. The Birth Rate of 18.1 compares with 17.4 of the
previous year, whilst the Infantile Mortality Rate of 29 is the lowest
yet recorded. The occurrence of Infectious Disease remained at a low
level, but unfortunately the wide-spread outbreak of Poliomyelitis
also affected the Borough ; there were 19 notified cases of this dread
disease, two of which were fatal. For the first time since immunisation
was commenced in Hampstead, no case of diphtheria occurred among
children of 0-15 years of age. It is interesting to note that 40 years ago
the Medical Officer of Health of Hampstead recorded 96 cases of diphtheria
with a fatality of over 20 per cent.
With the pending transfer of the Maternity and Child Welfare functions
of the Borough Council to the London County Council it is, I think,
appropriate that Mrs. Grundy, M.B.E., should have included in this
report the history of the Voluntary Infant Welfare movement in Hamp¬stead.
It is exactly 40 years since the first Mothers' Welcome for
weighing infants was opened at the Provident Dispensary in New End.
Today the Borough Council has 3 maternity and child welfare centres
from which operate a team of highly qualified doctors and health visitors,
assisted by enthusiastic voluntary workers. The success of all these
workers can be judged by the following figures :—
1880 Infantile Mortality Rate 140
1900 „ ,, ,, 100
1920 „ „ „ 83
1940 „ „ „ 49
1947 „ „ „ 29
Special reference must be made to the highly successful Domestic
and Home Help Service. During the year, 257 Maternity Cases and
312 Domestic Cases were assisted, and at the end of 1947 there were
21 full-time and 11 part-time helpers. The Committee appointed a