View report page

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 generally in the Borough continued to be satisfactory throughout 1951. The
population, according to the census taken during the year, numbered 75,764 (males 31,663; females
44,101) as compared with 97,627 at the previous census (1931) and 104,173 at the 1921 census. Both
the birth-rate (12.18) and the death-rate (13.77) showed an increase over the figures for 1950 (10.99
and 11.64 respectively). The infantile mortality rate of 19.39 again reached a new record low level,
and is now about one-seventh of the average rate recorded some 50 years ago. Maternal mortality
during 1951 was nil.
Notifications of infectious and other diseases increased from 749 (1950) to 1,108, nearly
three-quarters of this number being accounted for by measles (678) and whooping cough (135). There
were two deaths from measles but none from whooping cough. No case of diphtheria was reported.
A perusal of the report will show that, apart from routine matters, there was special activity in
the environmental field, more particularly in connection with the widening of the scope of the clean
food campaign, which included a survey of retail food shops; factory registration and inspection;
rodent control, and more especially "block treatment"; atmospheric pollution; and disinfestation
of verminous premises.
The commencement of legal action for a variety of offences and contraventions was called for in
a greater number of instances than usual, and although in many it was ultimately found unnecessary
to proceed, it will be noted that 58 cases were actually brought before the Court.
The care of old people continued to receive special attention, and grateful acknowledgement is
made of the invaluable assistance rendered by the St. Marylebone Old People's Welfare Association,
which not only carried out a full year's work on well-tried lines but embarked on several new services
for the benefit of the Borough's aged inhabitants.
As one of the Council's contributions to the Festival of Britain, a civic exhibition was held at the
Town Hall from the 13th August to the 8th September, and attracted a total attendance of nearly
5,000. Owing to the restricted space available it was impossible to present on the public health stand
a comprehensive picture of all the major activities of the Department. It was therefore decided to
concentrate on one aspect only, and the choice fell upon a subject very much in the public mind at
the time—food poisoning: its cause and prevention. The exhibit endeavoured to convey its story
mainly by specially-taken photographs, simple charts and bacteriological specimens, supported by
various leaflets which visitors were invited to take away. The Central Office of Information considered
the display of sufficient merit to warrant the ordering of prints from negatives produced under the
direction of the Department. Representatives of several other local authorities who were contemplating
the holding of similar exhibitions also evinced interest in the content and lay-out of the stand, a
photograph of which faces this page.
The weather of 1951 had many disappointing features, including the absence of any really hot days
and the large number of thunderstorms from June to August. Rainfall was the heaviest for five years,
and had been exceeded only five times in the past 72 years. The relatively dry months were June,
July and also October when drought conditions developed.
Councillor Captain Robert Whitney, M.B.E., J.P., Chairman of the Public Health Committee
until May, was succeeded in this position by Councillor The Rt. Hon. Lord Mancroft, M.B.E., T.D.
To both and to the members of the Committee and, indeed, to members of the Council generally, I
desire to offer my thanks for the support and sympathetic consideration always extended to me,
and for their attention to the problems which it has been my duty to place before them. To the staff
of the Public Health Department, and to my colleagues in other departments of the Council, I again
express my appreciation of their assistance and co-operation 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.