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7
VITAL STATISTICS
The population of the Borough of Lambeth at the mid year 1952
has been estimated by the Registrar- General to be 230,200 which
is 1,100 more than the estimated population in 1951. The natural
increase By births over deaths was 802.
The following table shows the actual numbers and the percentages
of deaths in various age groups and no less than 39.73% of all
deaths were in the age group 75 years and over. The ageing of
the population, the increasing proportion of retired non-earning
people to be supported by the younger workers becomes more
apparent each year. It becomes therefore, correspondingly important
to maintain not only the health of the aged but also their
capacity to look after themselves. They must be entirely dependent
upon the younger generations to produce the goods which pensions
enable them to purchase but so far as possible they should not
in addition be dependent upon the services of people who would
be more usefully employed upon production. One important means
of keeping the aged active is one by which they can get the
services of a chiropodist at a cost which does not eat too much
into the pension. The Borough Council are barred by statute from
spending money directly upon such a service but the Council can
make gran ts to the Lambeth Old People's Association for the purpose.
It was hoped that it might be possible for the Association to
set up three clinics each of two sessions a week, one at each
end and the third in the centre of the Borough, but unfortunately
it proved impossible to arrange for more than the one in the
centre which has been domiciled in the Town Hall until accommodation
was found on the Brixton District Nursing Association premises.
It is hoped that enough financial assistance will be forthcoming
1 ater to start the two other clinics, perhaps next year. Meanwhile
the association through its 23 clubs is doing invaluable work in
maintaining the self reliance and physical abilities of scores
of old people.

The principal causes of death were heart disease 877(911)
or 31.06 per cent. (30.91) of the total deaths, cancer 497(523)
or 17.60 per cent. (17.75), and influenza, bronchitis and
pneumonia, three causes of death largely dependent upon the
weather, were the cause of 4 28 (501) deaths or 15. 16 per cent.
(17.0)
During the year the number of live births corrected by inward
and outward transfers was 3,626, giving a corrected birth rate
of 15.75 compared with 16.71 in 195.1, a decrease of 0.96 per
1,000 population.
Deaths from cancer of the lungs have fallen this year to below
the numbers in 1949. There is however nothing to indicate that
this is other than a temporary remission. On the other hand deaths
from tuberculosis of the lungs continue to fall with modern
treatment and no doubt this will lead to like reduction in the