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IX
Annual Report on the Health and Sanitary
Condition of the City of Westminster.
1935.
Mr. Mayor, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my annual report for the year 1935.
The Minister of Health in Circular No. 1492 requires the report to be an "ordinary
report" and not a survey report, which is contrary to expectation seeing that five
years have elapsed since the last survey report.
Vital Statistics.
The crude death rate exceeds the birth rate by a still greater margin than last
year. The birth rate has fallen to 8.3; a figure so low has never yet been recorded
in this City, while the death rate at 11.5 is about the average for recent years. The
excess of deaths over births which shews a tendency to apply to the whole country
must of course result in a decline in the population. As the expectation of life is
steadily rising (some seven years in the last twenty years), it follows that if the fall
in the birth rate continues the time will come when the majority of the inhabitants
of this island are over 40 years of age. The point should not need emphasis that
every practicable step should be taken to preserve the life of every child born and
to ensure that it shall be brought up without physical defect and strong in body
and in mind.
Infectious Disease.
There were relatively few cases of measles, decreases in diphtheria and scarlet
fever, but considerably more cases of chicken pox, mumps and whooping cough.
The only matter for comment seems to be the further decline in tuberculosis both in
cases and deaths. Well-established experience teaches that tuberculosis flourishes
where food is scarce or deficient in nutritive value. The fact that this disease is
claiming fewer victims is a favourable commentary on the state of nutrition prevailing
among the people of this City.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
Fewer infants died, but as fewer infants were born the Infant Mortality figure is
slightly higher. This figure is artificially raised because of the number of cases
where women about to have children take up temporary residence in the City. In
such cases infant mortality is higher than among genuine Westminster residents.
These mothers register a Westminster address, but when visited usually cannot be
found. The percentage of infants' attendances at the Welfare Centres as compared
with the number of births was 72.
Maternal Mortality.
The rate for 1935 would have been nil had it not been for an unmarried woman
who died following a procured abortion. In the year previous four mothers lost
their lives. Fortunately there is a tendency for a general reduction in maternal
mortality throughout the country. The Maternity and Child Welfare Services are
dealt with in considerable detail in this report. The Council's midwifery scheme is
a completely co-ordinated service both for confinements at home and in hospital