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Public Health Department,
Poplar Town Hall, Bow Road, E.3.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In accordance with the Ministry of Health Circular 2314 (England)
this Report for the year 1940 is, like that for the preceding year, an
abridged Interim Report on the health of the Borough. Summaries of the
principal vital and other statistics are appended.
The birth and death rates are higher than the corresponding
rates for 1939 the increase in the death rate being considerable.
This increase is due mainly to the very large number of deaths included
under the heading of "Other violent causes" under which heading are
included deaths due to war operations, The infant mortality also is
higher than that for 1939 but it was much below the average for the
preceding ten years.
The incidence of infectious disease was very much lower than in
1939 and the expected epidemic of Measles in London did not materialise
until the latter part of the year.
Arrangements wore made towards the end of the year for the
establishment of a Diphtheria Immunisation Clinic to be hold at the
Tuberculosis Dispensary and the clinic commenced in 1941.
From the public health point of view there is nothing elso
which calls for comment.
I should like to record my appreciation of the way in which
the First Aid Volunteers, Stretcher Bearers and personnel of the First
Aid Posts carried out their various duties, often under very trying
circumstances and, although it is rather outside tho scope of the
Report which deals with public health matters, I would take this
opportunity of recording our sympathy with the relatives of the members
of the First Aid Post and Stretcher Party services who have been killed
as a result of enemy action.
I also wish to thank the personnel of the Public Health
Department for their help and co-operation since hostilities commenced,
particularly during the later months of 1940 and the early months of
1941.
My thanks are due also to the Secretary and Committee of the
Local Medical War Committee of the British Medical Association,
through whose co-operation the services of a number of Medical
Practitioners in the Borough have been made available for duty in
connection with various aspects of Civil Defence work.
I am, Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
W. ALLAN YOUNG,
Medical Officer of Health.