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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Horns ey.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentle men,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report on the Public Health
for the year ending 31st December,, 1945.
The "birth rate 17.6 and the death rate 13.25 are both a little down
from the previous year (19.08 and 14.94). The infant mortality is the
same as in 1944, namely 38 per thousand live births.
Having regard to the age-distribution of the population of the Borough
with its undue proportion in the older age groups, there is nothing
unusual about these figures - nothing about which to be unduly elated or
depressed. The infant mortality should be lower and the mortality
amongst illegitimate infants is a social and moral problem of groat
complexity which has not responded to the general measures for the
improvement of infant hygiene and nutrition. The unmarried mother and
her child have all the maternity and child welfare services at their
disposal and, indeed, have special attention and help from Medical
Officers, Health Visitors, welfare Workers and other municipal and
voluntary agencies. In spite of those sources of help, the illegitimate
child is so often unwanted that the balance is heavily loaded against its
survival.
The two big problems which are engaging the attention of the Council
in circumstances of exceptional difficulties are
A) Environmental. More houses and better housing.
B) Personal. Better preventive health services.
A) Housing.
The return of men and women from the Services and of families from
evacuation has brought the population nearly to its pre-war level.
As a result of enemy action there were, at the end of 1945, still well
over 1,000 houses or self-contained flats demolished or so damaged as to
be un-inhabitable. This number is being steadily reduced by repair, but
about 700 to 800 houses have been either completely demolished or so badly
damaged as to require demolition.
The acute shortage of housing accommodation created in this way has
resulted in serious overcrowding in many houses.
Before the war the housing position was good in that all groups of old
houses unfit for habitation had been demolished and their occupants rehoused
and overcrowding- was minimal. At the end of 1939-
the number of dwellings overcrowded was 25
the number of families dwelling therein was 27
the number of persons dwelling therein was 165
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