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The fact that these cases can be dealt with at your own hospital ; can be dealt
with as orthopaedic cases in your beds at the Brookfield Orthopaedic Hospital, and
can later, if necessary, be dealt with at your Special School, means that you have
continuity of supervision which is, in my opinion, the circumstance which is likely
to diminish the residual disability of this distressing condition.
There are few diseases in which treatment has made such progress during my
lifetime, and it is a constant source of satisfaction to me to see children getting
better, who in my student days could not possibly have had this chance of recovery
which they have today.
6. BIRTHS.
The net number of births registered in 1937 was 1,133, affording an annual
birth rate of 14.82 per 1,000 population, compared with 15.72 in 1936, 16.9 in 1935,
17.4 in 1934, 17.4 in 1933, 18.3 in 1932, 18.3 in 1931, 17.8 in 1930, 18.7 in 1929 and
19.7 in 1928.
Of all births, 18 were illegitimate, giving a percentage of 1.59 of the total
births.
Notification of Births Acts, 1907-1915.—During 1937 there were 1,088 live
births notified, excluding 13 cases transferred from the district. In addition,
notifications of still-births belonging to the district totalled 40.
Seventeen live births and 1 still-birth were not notified, and these cases are not
included in the totals of notified births given above.
7. SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
(a) General.—The growth of population in Barking has been due essentially to the
exodus of population from London.
London for a number of years has had what may be termed a hospitalised
population, i.e., a population which has been accustomed to have a hospital on its
own doorstep, which has looked upon an attendance at an hospital, equally with
attendance at the consulting rooms of a private doctor, as a means of obtaining
necessary advice and treatment.
This characteristic point of view of Londoners has been reflected in the very
considerable number of attendances which have been made at your various outpatients'
departments during the year.
In London the people are catered for dually by the London County Council
and by Voluntary Hospitals, and where-ever you get such a dual service it is difficult
to achieve the same uniformity as you find in Barking, where of necessity the
services are unified under your single control.