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3
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
St. Marylebone, W.l.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough of St. Marylebone.
Mr. Mayor, my Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Health conditions in the Borough continued to be satisfactory throughout 1948. The birth-rate
declined from 13.21 (1947) to 12.87, and the death-rate of 10.48 showed a decided decrease over the
1947 figure (12.29). The infantile mortality rate of 31.66 was somewhat higher than the record low
level reached in 1947 (26.55). The civilian population of 75,980, as estimated by the RegistrarGeneral,
showed a slight downward trend, being 1,000 less than the estimate for the previous year.
Infectious disease notifications rose slightly from 708 (1947) to 732, of which nearly two-thirds related
to measles (354) and whooping cough (128). The incidence of the major infectious diseases
remained low.
On the 5th July, 1948, under the provisions of the National Health Service Act, 1946, the maternity
and child welfare and other personal health services were transferred from the Borough Council to
the London County Council, and certain aspects of the tuberculosis dispensary service to the NorthWest
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. Details of these changes and of the functions which
still remain the responsibility of the Borough Council are given in Appendix I to this report.
Two members of the Public Health Committee—Councillor Captain Robert Whitney, M.B.E., J.P.
(Chairman) and Councillor Miss D. A. Sharpe, F.R.C.S., M.R.C.O.G.—represented the Borough
Council upon the Divisional Health Committee set up by the London County Council under the
Act for Division 2, comprising the City of Westminster and the Boroughs of Hampstead, Paddington,
St. Marylebone and St. Pancras.
As one of the local authorities concerned with maternity and child welfare since its earliest days
it may interest the reader to have some account of the work carried out by the St. Marylebone Borough
Council (in collaboration with the St. Marylebone Health Society and other voluntary organisations)
during the past 42 years. A brief historical survey prepared at the time the service passed from the
Borough Council is therefore reproduced as Appendix II.
As from the 3rd June, 1948, the Public Health Committee took over from the Housing Committee
the functions, powers and duties of the Council under sections 11 to 24 of the Housing Act, 1936,
relating to underground rooms, insanitary houses and parts of buildings.
The National Assistance Act, 1948, placed upon the Council new powers under three sections which
came into operation on the 5th July, 1948. Section 31 enables a local authority to make contributions
to the funds of any voluntary organisation whose activities include the provision of recreation or meals
for old people ; section 50 requires the Council (as the local sanitary authority) to cause to be buried
or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in the Borough, in any case where
it appears that no other suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being
made ; while section 47 contains amended provisions for the removal of diseased or infirm persons to
a hospital or other institution, and replaces section 224 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
As regards weather the year 1948 will go down in history as a mild one. For example, in January—
and again in the early part of December—it was as mild as the first three weeks of July, and in October
there were temperatures of more than 70 degrees. The winter had comparatively few snowfalls, but
was mainly wet. After the sunniest spring since 1909, the summer months were very poor, with
cool, dull days and excessive rain. Except for the very hot, sunny days at the end of July, there
were few compensating features. The most popular holiday week of the year, the first week in August,
was "exceptionally wet." November had a continuous fog for 114 hours.
My thanks are due to the Chairman (Councillor Captain Robert Whitney, M.B.E., J.P.) and
members of the Public Health Committee for the consideration and encouragement they gave me
throughout 1948; to my colleagues in other Departments of the Council for their co-operation and
assistance; and to the staff of the Public Health Department for their continued loyalty and support
in the public health work of the Borough.
I am,
Mr. Mayor, my Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
H. A. BULMAN,
Medical Officer of Health.