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To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark
YOUR WORSHIP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I have the honour to present the Annual Report of the Medical Officer
of Health for the year 1963.
Vital Statistics.
Whereas the Registrar General's estimate of the population at mid-1962
showed a very slight increase on the 1961 census figure, his estimate for
mid-1963 reverts to the pattern of former years and once more shows a decrease
albeit a small one of some 570 persons. There was a rather smaller
excess of births over deaths during 1963 as compared to 1962 and it would
therefore appear that some 900 fewer people resided in Southwark during 1963
than during the preceding year. The gradual fall in population of this central
London Borough is, of course, conditioned by the proportion of total development
formed by residential accommodation.
After adjustment by the appropriate comparability factor the birth rate
during 1963 was 17.0 per 1,000 of the population this figure being only
slightly less than those for the previous two years, which were the highest
experienced in Southwark since 1952. The rate for England and Wales was
18.2 per 1,000 of the population.
A particularly satisfactory feature of the statistics for 1963 was the
infant mortality rate of 18.9 per 1,000 live births being the lowest rate
recorded in Southwark since 1956 and comparing favourably with the national
figure of 20.9 per 1,000 births. The still birth rate also was reduced from
17.2 per 1,000 total births in 1962 to 13.1, the figure for England and Wales
being 17.3. There was little change in the neo-natal mortality rate which
was 13.2 per 1,000 live births compared to 14.2 for the country as a whole.
No deaths occurred during 1963 which were attributable to pregnancy,
childbirth, or abortion.
The crude general death rate was 13.8 per 1,000 population as compared
to 14.2. the rate experienced during the previous year. After adjustment the
figure becomes 13.3 whereas the rate for England and wales was 12.2. per
1,000 population. The most important cause of death was disease of the
circulatory system. More people died from respiratory disease than from
malignant conditions. One hundred and twenty one people died of bronchitis,
sixty four from cancer of the lung and thirteen from pulmonary tuberculosis.
Infectious Disease.
In the Annual Report for 1960 attention was drawn to the occurrence of
686 cases of dysentery in Southwark during that year, and reference was
made to a statement of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health
contained in his Annual Report for 1959, namely "Only detailed attention to
personal cleanliness, and above all, the washing of hands after attendance
at the toilet, combined with adequate sanitary provision in homes, school and