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i
BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK
Public Health Department,
Walworth Road, S.E.17.
The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
Metropolitan Borough of Southwark.
Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for the
year 1951.
Reviewing the year as a whole it may be said that this was one
of the healthiest years in the records of the Borough. Whilst
the number of deaths increased slightly on the previous year,
over 900 of the 1324 deaths occurred in persons over 65 years
of age. The infant mortality created another record by
declining to 18.6 per 1000 births. Considering the infectious
diseases, the fall in the tuberculosis mortality is outstanding.
In spite of an epidemic of measles of some 1700 odd cases
there were no deaths recorded as due to this disease. One
heard very little of Diphtheria and Polio-myelitis, and there
were no deaths from either. Except for an outbreak of
dysentery there were very few cases of the other common
infectious diseases.
It is also satisfactory to record the great decline in the
number of food poisoning cases, particularly in view of the
efforts being made by your staff in the Clean Food Campaign.
One cannot pass without mentioning certain conditions on
the debit side which give rise to some anxiety. I refer to the
increasing deaths from a number of diseases, particularly
Cancer, mainly Cancer of the lungs, which now exceeds the
deaths from tuberculosis of the lungs; Coronary Disease and
high blood pressure; and diseases of the vessels of the brain.
Passing to the Sanitary Conditions of the Borough, I feel
that the Inspectors are to be congratulated on their achievement
as the Department has been working under great stress
and difficulties owing to the perpetual changing of staff which
has resulted in a severe shortage of Inspectors. This shortage
is common to most of the London Boroughs, and I know is
causing much concern to the Councils affected. Unfortunately
the new training syllabus for Sanitary Inspectors becomes
operative shortly, and as this extends the training time, it
will create a further shortage for three or four years until
the time lag created is overcome. The problem is, therefore,
not an easy one to solve as it is a question of supply. The
immediate concern, as I see it, is how to put a 'brake' on the