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REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE CITY OF LONDON FOR THE YEAR 1952.
To the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Commoners of the Corporation of London.
55/61, Moorgate,
London, E.C. 2.
September, 1953.
My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the following report on the work of my Department during the
year 1952.
Vital Statistics.
Between the Census of 1931 and that of 1951 the resident population of the City declined from
10,999 to 5,268, a decrease of 52.1 per cent., and it is still slowly decreasing. On the other hand the
day-time population is estimated to be about half a million and is increasing pari passu with the
rebuilding of the City.
There are many people who would be glad to live in the City. First of all those who have to get
the City ready for the influx of daily workers and those who have to clean up after the evening
exodus; then there are those connected with the press and with the markets, who are at work very
late or very early. There must be many others who would appreciate the peace of the City at night
and at week-ends with, at the same time, easy access to the social amenities of the West End. But
land values appear to make the cost of housing prohibitive, certainly for the lower income groups,
much as the Corporation would like to provide for them within its own boundaries; and presumably,
since no developers have come forward with schemes for blocks of flats, it is considered that building
costs would be too high to make the housing of the higher income groups remunerative. It may be
that ultimately there will prove to be areas within the square mile which are surplus to the requirements
of commercial development and which would still be quiet backwaters in which attractive
residential accommodation might be built, but there can be no decision on this point until the demands
of commerce have been satisfied. On the one hand is pride in the status of the City as a centre of
commerce, on the other a feeling that a city cannot continue to be a living entity without citizens.
With such a small residential population the vital statistics, birth rate, death rate, infant mortality
rate, etc., are, as I have said year by year, of little value for comparison with the country as a whole
or other areas or indeed with the figures for the City in previous years. For example, with only 37
births the death of a single infant makes a difference of 27 in the death rate per 1,000 births. In 1951
the infant mortality rate for England and Wales was 29.7, so that with only two infant deaths in the
City the infant mortality rate of 54.05 appears as nearly double that for the country as a whole.
Infectious Diseases.
The incidence of infectious diseases in the City during the year calls for no special comment.
Many enquiries are received from business houses in regard to the action to be taken in regard to
employees who are contacts with infectious diseases.
The number of cases of Tuberculosis notified was 11 as compared with 17 in the previous year.
Mass Radiography.
The Mass Radiography Unit of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board continued
to operate from your premises at 20, Golden Lane and your Medical Officer continued to notify firms
in the City of the facilities, at such a rate as was necessary to ensure a steady flow of examinees to
the Unit.
During the year the Unit examined 50,908 persons. Some 26,000 of these were referred through
my Department. The remainder came from the Metropolitan Boroughs of Finsbury, Shoreditch and
Stepney or from firms in the City who had previously sent members of their staff for examination
and made subsequent arrangements direct with the Unit.
The Medical Director of the Unit has sent me a copy of his Annual Report for the year 1952, from
which I have extracted the following table:—

Total Male Examinees 29,794
Total Male cases of Active T.B. 60
Ratio per 1,000 Active T.B. 2.01