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4
The chief statistics relating to the year under review are as
follows:—
The birth rate (15.2) was higher than that for 1930 (14.6).
The death rate wa.s 12.7, as compared with 12.4 for London
generally, and 12.2 for the year 1930.
The infantile mortality rate was 53.9, as compared with 54.6
in 1930.
The total number of notifiable diseases recorded for the year
was 489. This figure represents a decrease of 310 cases as compared
with the previous year, owing to a decreased number of cases of
scarlet fever, diphtheria, smallpox, tuberculosis, and chicken pox.
There was an increase in the number of cases of pneumonia, ophthalmia
neonatorum, puerperal fever and puerperal pyrexia as
compared with the previous year.
Smallpox was less prevalent throughout the Metropolis during
the year, and only one case had to be dealt with as compared with
29 the previous year.
These figures indicate that the general standard of health
of the Borough continued to show improvement.
The work of the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres has
continued to maintain the high standard of the previous year.
Extensions to the work of the year are the provision of additional
weekly sessions at the Ante-natal Centre and the Dental Clinic,
a scheme of payment in respect of necessitous cases admitted
to the Mothers' Hospital, Clapton, a scheme for the supply of Home
Helps for domestic assistance during the lying-in period, and an
arrangement for the sale at cost price, or free to necessitous
cases, of sterilised maternity outfits.