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Town Hall,
Euston Road,
London, N. W. 1.
September, 1958
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Saint Pancras.
Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for the year 1957; the 14th
Report which I have written on the health of the Borough of St. Pancras.
The population in the middle of the year, as estimated by the Registrar
General, was 132,000. This compares with 133,100 in the middle of 1956, and
indicates that the number of residents in St. Pancras has fallen by 1,100 during
the year. On the other hand, there has been some very considerable increase in
the building of office accommodation throughout the Borough, and I would mention
in particular Babcock House. Gestetner's Great Northern House, and the National
Union of Mineworkers in Euston Road; Mullard House, National Provincial Bank and
other large blocks under construction in Tottenham Court Road; Transport Salaries
Staffs Association offices in Melton Street; Transport and General Workers Union
offices in Endsleigh Place and the Oetzmann sites in Hampstead Road and Camden
High Street.
As a result of this, I think that the day-time population of the Borough
has undoubtedly increased. The character of St. Pancras continues to change from
a district of individual dwellings and some factory, office and business areas,
into a central London borough with large industrial buildings and blocks of
flats built by the Borough Council, the London County Council, the St. Pancras
Housing Association and private enterprise.
Vital Statistics
The number of deaths at all ages decreased from 1,528 to 1,440, and the
death rate from 11.48 per thousand of the estimated population to 10.91. Infantile
deaths were 47 compared with 53, with an infantile death rate of 21.1 as compared
with 22.4. The number of deaths from tuberculosis was 18 as compared with 28.
It is interesting to compare the situation concerning tuberculosis in 1957
with that in 1927. The number of persons in the borough notified as suffering
from tuberculosis in 1957 was 1,581. It was 1,764 in 1927. In comparing these
figures one must take into consideration the fact that the population in 1927
was 213,200 compared with 132,000 in 1957. In 1957 there were 254 new notifications
compared with 397 in 1927. Whilst there were 18 deaths in 1957 due to
tuberculosis, there were 217 in 1927. It becomes obvious from the decreased
mortality that tuberculosis is becoming a curable disease and the notifications
today are largely of early cases as a result of better diagnostic measures.
Notifications of tuberculosis in young children and adolescents are few, the
majority of cases arising in late middle age. It is considered that the spread
of tuberculosis is chiefly from the elderly chronic patient. Many cases of
tuberculosis are treated at home and where hospital treatment is required there
is little if any delay in obtaining admission.
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