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To the Right Worshipful the Mayor, Alderman and
Councillors of the City of Westminster.
My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I bog to submit my report on the Public Health and Sanitary conditions
of the City for the year 1.4.6. This report, the twenty second presented by
mo as your Medical Officer o.C :IoaIth, is pre unreel in hocorc'ance with
Circular 220/46 of tho Ministry of Health. The Minister requests that tho
report shall follow tho lines of those submitted during the war. namely, au
abbreviated document mainly supplying information on matters which the ILaiater
wishes to be informed, together with cort.dn vital, statistics and a brief
reference to other rooyor-sibilities of the Medio.'.1 Officer of Health relating
to public health and giena.
Among niattors v/ith which thd City Council is c n,,eni.ci, the Minister
specially mentions tuberculosis, (including t-'O aliLokmeos so' jmo), the, progress
of diphtheria immunisation, the ear© of prematura infants and ol illonitimie
children, and the stops talcon to combat infestation. Particulars relating
to Part I and Part VIII of tho Factories Act 1937 are also called for and are
duly included.
This report attompts briefly to record the work of the dppartmont under
the direction of t'e Medical Officer of Health during the first complete year
of peace. While it i3 true that tho people en jcy tlie inestimable relief from
hombing, throats of invasion and anxieties over membors of their families on
active service, yot tho turmoil and stresses of living arising from the
scarcities of r.o many things tend to obliterate the memory of their deliverance
from the immeasurably more tiying dangers and difficulties of the war. In
spite of tlie chilly and cheerless summer of 194-6 followed by a winter the like
of vfhich for severity has not been known since 1895, the health of the citizens
was remarkably good. The general death rate was lower than in 194-5J there
were no outbreaks of infoctious diseasej the infant death rate fell from 71.5 to
4-0.4- per thousand births, but as last year thero was one maternal death.
There have been v_.nin no deaths from Diphtheria. Twenty years ago there
were recorded 229 cases aid 9 deaths. There can be little doubt that this
threat to tho liver of children -is being overcom by immunisation. Increasing
advantage is being taken of tea facilities avail .ble at tho Wolf arc Centres for
protection against Diphtheria. It, is e-t.li .ted that now some 83S» of all
chi.lc'ren under 5 years of ago living in tho City have boon giver, immunity
against Diphtheria. Notifications of this disease though showing an increase
over tho previous year indicate . .asar of a mild nature discornlble by
bacteriological tests.
With a considerably increased population over 194-5 a;, estimated by the
Registrar General it is gratifying tc record a marked decrease in new cases of
tuberculosis, especially among tho non-pulmonary (a form of disease mostly
found among children cxid young alulue)
Tho Maternity and Child Wolfore service has again boon expanded to meet
tho increasing demands of the rising birth rate. -inference is made to the
additional maternity beds provided and to the child welfare clinic established
in the Covent Garden urea. Two additional Health Visiters wore appointed and
take up their duties in 1947.
Tho energies of the sanitary inspectors have mainly been directed to
housing whiauthorities for many years to come. Second in importance to finding
suitable dwellings for those without homos or those living in very
unsatisfactory conditions is the maintenance and repair of occupied dwellings.
Much of the old house property in the City has suffered sad deterioration
during the war years; some of it was already qualifying for demolition when the
war came. Nov; every house that can be preserved must be kept in occupation.
It follows that repairs more extensive and expensive than over contemplated are