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REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE CITY OF LONDON FOR THE YEAR 1958.
To the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Commoners of the Corporation of London.
Guildhall,
E.C.2.
Telephone: MONarch 3030
July. 1959
My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the following report on the work of ray Department during the
year 1958.
Vital Statistics
The resident population of the City according to the Registrar General's estimate at midyear
1958 was 5,000.
The birth rate dropped to 5.22 per 1,000 resident population and the death rate rose to
11.42 per 1,000 resident population, as compared with 5.93 and 10.50 per 1,000 respectively in
1957.
29 babies were born, two of which died within four weeks of birth. One of these, a female,
was born in a maternity hospital outside the City and died within 24 hours being congenitally
deformed as to the skull and face. The other was a newly born male found floating in the River
Thames and there is no reason to believe that its parents were City residents. This latter death,
however, increased the City neo-natal death rate by 50%, which fact endorses the contention of
the Medical Officer of Health that the vital statistics of the City cannot be usefully compared
with those of other areas or even with those of previous years because the numbers on which
the rates are calculated are so small.
All births were legitimate and there were no still-births.
The total number of deaths of all ages was 56; 34 male and 22 female. Eleven deaths were
due to cancer, only one of which was cancer of the lung. Four deaths were from pneumonia and
five from bronchitis. Five deaths were accidental, and two men over 45 years of age committed
suicide.
Infectious Disease
The incidence of infectious disease fell cosiderably, only 27 notifications being received.
There were three cases of dysentery (6) and nine of measles (19), five of food poisoning
(14), four of scarlet fever (2) and six of pulmonary tuberculosis (5).
(The figures in brackets denote the comparable number of cases in 1957).
Food Poisoning
Appended is a copy of the Annual Return made to the Minister of Health on food poisoning
in the City of London during 1958.
None of the three outbreaks was serious. The two instances in which the agent was identified
as Clostridium welchii were due to the consumption of re-heated meat in a restaurant and at
the mid-day meal in a school respectively.
ANNUAL RETURN OF FOOD POISONING IN THE CITY OF LONDON
1. YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1958
2. (a) FOOD POISONING NOTIFICATIONS (Corrected) as returned to Registrar General:—
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
Nil 1 Nil 4 5
(b) Cases otherwise ascertained:—
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
61 61
(c) Symptomless Excreters
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
(d) Fatal Cases
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
2