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WELbeck 7766
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
St. Marylebone, W.l.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough of St. Marylebone.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present to you my Annual Report on the health of the Borough during
1964. At the request of the Minister of Health the report retains its usual form and gives full details
of the water supply, sewerage and common lodging houses in the Borough.
Public health throughout the year was generally good. The number of cases of infectious disease
notified reached a record low level, 140 of the 233 notifications received being accounted for by measles.
If the clinical trials of measles vaccines which commenced early in the year under the auspices of the
Medical Research Council fulfil expectations, then this common and frequently tiresome childhood
ailment will soon cease to dominate the annual returns of notifiable diseases. Once again the Borough
remained free from smallpox, diphtheria and poliomyelitis. Only one case of typhoid fever—almost
certainly contracted on holiday abroad—was notified but the need to remain on constant guard was
dramatically illustrated by the epidemic which assailed Aberdeen during the summer of 1964;
fortunately no secondary cases developed amongst the contacts kept under surveillance in St.
Marylebone.
The size of the resident population remained virtually stationary with both the standardized
birth and general death rates showing a decrease compared with the previous year. Not unexpectedly,
in view of the small numbers involved, the stillbirth, perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality rates
all rose appreciably; in such circumstances even quite marked fluctuations in these rates can be regarded
with equanimity. Happily there were no maternal deaths in 1964. Of the 17 infant deaths recorded
all but one occurred within four weeks of birth—a period when the influence of prenatal factors, of
which much remains to be learned, is particularly felt. The leading causes of death amongst adults
continued to be diseases of the heart and circulatory system, the various forms of cancer, and respiratory
diseases in that order. Seven out of every ten deaths registered during the year were of persons
over the age of 65.
Details of the activities of the Public Health Department on behalf of the elderly, and of the
St. Marylebone Old People's Welfare Association will be found on pages 6-10 of this report. The
official opening by His Worship the Mayor on the 27th of November of the St. Marylebone Centre for
the Elderly was a memorable moment in the history of the Association. This attractive day centre,
conveniently situated near the Town Hall, will be the focal point for voluntary services for the aged
in the Borough; in addition to serving as the administrative headquarters of the Old People's Welfare
Association it provides facilities for social recreation, a foot clinic, a luncheon club, and a base for the
distribution of meals to the housebound. In the first full year of operation with two vans the "Mealson-Wheels"
service, manned by the stalwart members of the Women's Voluntary Service and the
British Red Cross Society under the able supervision of the indefatigable Mrs. Lush, delivered no
fewer than 15,538 hot mid-day meals. A splendid record. Another happy feature was the appointment
in June of Mr. Gosby as deputy to Mrs. Cowan who has rendered such sterling service as Secretary
of the Old People's Welfare Association—the Department is greatly in her debt for wise counsel and
cheerful assistance unstintingly given.
The Borough Council also derived great satisfaction from the opening in July by Miss Lucy
Nettlefold, a former alderman and a tireless worker for the aged in St. Marylebone, of the first purposebuilt
block of flats it had erected for old people. Mackintosh House (named in memory of the distinguished
predecessor of Mrs. Cowan) contains 28 flatlets, each linked by an alarm system with the flat
of the resident warden who keeps a friendly eye on the inhabitants. A large communal sitting room
and a small secluded terrace and garden are added attractions. This type of accommodation meets
a very real need whereby, in the presence of infirmity, independence is maintained and help is immediately
at hand. Hence the enthusiasm which greeted the completion of this project.
Atmospheric Pollution was another field in which notable progress was made. At the beginning
of October the smoke control area embracing the Dorset Square and Park Crescent Wards came into
operation, and on the last day of the year the Minister of Housing and Local Government confirmed
without modification the final smoke control order (covering the old Church Street and Bell Street
Wards) to be made by the Council. This eighth order, coming into force next October, completes the
smoke control programme of the Council as planned—an achievement which reflects the greatest
credit on all concerned with the programme since its inception eight years ago. Thus the whole of
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