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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 beg to submit my Annual Report for the year 1955.
The population figure as calculated by the Registrar General again
decreased to 93,820.
An increase of 200 in the number of deaths, together with the
lower population, resulted in a higher crude death rate of 13.8 per
1,000 of the population.
Infant mortality increased from 21 to 28 per 1,000 births, owing
chiefly to a large increase of deaths amongst the illegitimate infants.
The year was marked by the unprecedented outbreaks of
infectious diseases. I refer particularly to Measles, Poliomyelitis
and Dysentery.
The Measles epidemic was greater than ever before recorded and
persisted for several months, in fact, until the early summer.
Fortunately only four infants lost their lives from this disease, an
indication of the greater adequacy of the newer weapons we now
possess to prevent the killing complications of these types of
infections.
No sooner had we finished with Measles than the Borough was
struck with what turned out to be the worst outbreak of Poliomyelitis
that we had ever experienced. Many cases were notified but
actually 64 were confirmed, of which 41 were paralytic cases.
Those chiefly affected with paralysis were under 5 years of age—namely
27, of whom 21 were boys. The remainder ranged between
the ages of 5 to 25. Of the non-paralytic cases—23 altogether—11
were among the under 5-year age groups and the remainder chiefly
fell between 5-15 years.
The epidemic commenced at the beginning of July in the north of
the Borough in three of the "block" buildings in this area, and
slowly became disseminated throughout the Borough, reaching its
peak in mid August. From this point it slowly declined until it
finally subsided in the early part of December.
Extensive investigations were made into each case and families
were visited and closely questioned—some on several occasions—
but in spite of all our efforts we were unable to say from where
the disease had come or how it was spread. Many points of interest,
however, were found and many insanitary conditions were brought
to light and remedied.