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9
Public Health Department
Lambeth Town Hall,
Brixton Hill, S. W. 2.
Tel : BRIxton 7755
July, 1960
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth.
Mr. Mayor Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my Annual Report for the year
1959 on the health of the Borough of Lambeth.
According to the estimate of the Registrar-General, the
population of the Borough continued its slight fall, the mid 1959
being 223,300, a decrease of 300 on the previous year.
The corrected birth rate at 19.09 per 1,000 home population
is one of the highest to be recorded since the war, whereas the
death rate and infant mortality rates are virtually unchanged from
last year. Of the infant deaths 68% occurred in the first week of
life and 80% in the first four weeks. For the second successive
year there has been one maternal death recorded.
As is to be expected heart diseases and cancer have accounted
for the highest proportion of deaths, but a disturbing feature is
the slow but steady increase in the number of deaths due to
accidents, both on the road and elsewhere.
It is worthy of note that the number of road accidents
involving children has remained at a steady level for a number of
years and the increase has taken place solely in the adult groups.
It would seem that road sense inculcated in the children does keep
the accident rate down, at least while they remain children.
The notifications of respiratory tuberculosis show a marked
fall, being 155 as against 189 last year. The Consultant Chest
Physician mentions in his contribution to this report that the