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6
PREFACE.
The health of the Borough of Lambeth during the year 1935
has been generally satisfactory, as will be seen from the statistics
in the Report. The Registrar General's estimate of the population
shows a further reduction of 4,000 to 279,900. The extensive
rebuilding upon the sites of clearance areas as well as the erection
of blocks of dwellings upon sites previously open or occupied by a
relatively small number of dwellings will no doubt lead to a decided
increase in the population in 1936 and subsequent years. The
estimated population is now 16,247 less than at the census, 1931.
The birth rate which rose slightly in 1934 to 14.21 has again
declined to 13.65, a rate not appreciably higher than the lowest
rate of 13.63 recorded in 1933, and the natural increase in the
population by excess of births over deaths is only 421, compared
with 1,528 in 1934.
The Registrar General has again calculated a comparability factor
for the Borough for the purpose of adjusting the local death rate,
which will enable the crude death rate to be compared with the
crude death rate of the country as a whole, or with that of any
other local area whose crude death rate has been similarly modified.
The adjusted crude death rate for the Borough is 12.02 per
1,000 population, which is the lowest recorded rate and compares
favourably with the previous lowest rate of 12.4 in 1926, when the
population was perhaps rather over-estimated to be 311,000. The
number of deaths in the age groups 45 years and over was 78.39 per
cent. of the whole, compared with 73.54 per cent. in 1934, indicating
that the mortality among the younger members is lessening.
Actually, more than 50 per cent. of the total deaths took place
among the age groups from 65 years onwards.
The zymotic death rate is 0.25 per 1,000 population, being
approximately one-tenth of the rate experienced in the decennium,
1891-1900, but it should be noted that measles was practically
absent and that the number of deaths was small from whooping
cough, the greatest menace among the zymotic diseases to juvenile
life.
The dislocation of the work of the Public Health Department
caused by the overcrowding survey under the Housing Act, 1935.