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To the Mayor. Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan
Borough of Levoisham.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you my Twenty-fourth
Annual Report on the vital statistics and sanitary condition of
the Borough for the year 1924.
Vital Statistics.—One is happy to record the low deathratc
of 10.46 per 1000 of the population, the lowest rate
recorded in any of the Metropolitan Boroughs. It compares
favourably with the death-rate for the County of London and
for England and Wales, respectively 12.1 and 12.2 per 1000.
The birth-rate continues to fall, that recorded for the
year under review being 16.3 per 1000, compared with 18.7
for the County of London and 18.8 for England and Wales.
This is the lowest recorded birth-rate In Lewisham since 1918,
and, if one excludes the war period, is the lowest on record.
Maternity and Child Welfare.—The infant mortality rale,
that is the number of infants dying within one year for every
thousand births, amounted to the low figure of 47, the lowest
recorded among the London Boroughs, and compares favourably
with 75 for England and Wales. The total number of
deaths coming within this category amounted to 146, 50 of
these being within a week of birth, 73 within a month of birth,,
25 between one and three months, 26 between three and six
months, 8 between six and nine months and 14 between nine
and twelve months. As to the causes of death, it: is interesting
to note that 46 of the total were attributed to conditions
due to prematurity, 18 to debility and marasmus, and 21 to
pneumonia. It is significant that only eleven deaths were due
to gastric or intestinal trouble. The mortality from this cause
has been gradually lessening, indicating that mothers have benefitted
by the instruction given at the Council's Clinic and the
Voluntary Centres in the district.