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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough
of Lewisham
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit herewith my report for the health department for the
year 1956.
Vital statistics
The Registrar General's estimate of the population in midyear
1956 at 222,100 was 1,300 less than his estimate for midyear 1955. The
decrease from the 1951 census figure of 227,576 therefore continues
steadily. The crude birth rate for the year at 14.5 shows a slight
increase on the previous year and the adjusted birth rate (allowing for
age and sex distribution of the population) is also rather higher at 13.8.
The crude death rate at 11.3 is again an increase on the previous year,
but it remains less than the rate for the administrative county. The
infant mortality rate at 19 was 2 up on the previous year, which was
the lowest on record. This rate is divisible into two parts, the neonatal
rate (i.e. under one month of age) and the rest of the first year rate.
The neonatal rate went up from 11 to 16, but the rest of the first year
rate dropped from 6 to 3, which is a low record. The stillbirth rate
at 19 was almost the same as the previous year and the combined stillbirth
and infant death rate (reproductive wastage) of 38 therefore
showed a slight increase. The various comparative figures of general
statistics since the beginning of the century are shown in table 10.
Infectious disease other than tuberculosis
The total number of notifications received (including 212 for
tuberculosis) was 1,709, which is the lowest number for many years
past. The decrease was mainly due to the lack of measles cases, of which
almost 4,000 had been notified in 1955, whereas only 206 were notified
last year. Almost one-third of the total notifications of all infectious
disease were due to dysentery, of which 579 cases were notified-a high
number. Schools again seemed to be the centre of the spread and with
our present knowledge it appears to be very difficult to control the
disease once it appears in a school. However it remains a very mild
infection, being more of a nuisance than anything else, but it does
interfere considerably with education, both of patients and to a lesser
extent of their home contacts. Poliomyelitis had only a moderate
incidence, there being 26 cases as against 63 in the previous year. The
Ministry of Health vaccine was used for the first time, but it arrived
too late and in insufficient quantity for as many cases to be done as
were willing to have it. It is hoped that more will be available in 1957
and that parents will appreciate the advantage of helping their children
to avoid poliomyelitis in this way. The vaccine is not claimed to create
an absolute protection, and perhaps the British vaccine is slightly less
effective (and slightly safer) than vaccine used in some other countries,
but all the statistics so far seem to indicate that it has a definite effect
in reducing the likelihood of poliomyelitis infection.