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5
INTRODUCTION
To the Chairman and Members of the Public Health Committee.
I have the honour to present my report on the health of the Borough
during 1963.
The year was of particular interest to the Officers because of
meetings for joint consultation with the Officers of other authorities
about to form the New London Borough. Following these meetings
it was possible to prepare for the Joint Committee an informative
report on the environmental service and to include this in a larger
informative report on the proposed health services in the new Borough.
At this stage the only comments are that these meetings showed the
wide range of experience that will be possible in the new Borough to
trainees and Inspectors and if the problem of size can be measured up
to the present, efficient services should be evenly distributed and
maintained.
In the past twelve years changes of emphasis in environmental
health have appeared. Among infectious diseases it was usual to report
a large number of cases of poliomyelitis, 33 cases occurred in the
epidemic of 1947 and from 1947 to 1957 there were 118 confirmed cases
inBeckenham. Whooping Cough was much more prevalent. Nowadays
epidemics of diseases such as Mumps and Chickenpox seem much more
prevalent and Poliomyelitis occurs not at all.
Mass Radiography units now have fixed centres convenient to the
Borough and there is a greater emphasis on Chest X-rays for persons
over 45 years of age.
Hygienic practices in food shops are more apparent and the causes
of Food Poisoning are better understood.
Smoke Control Areas, Home Safety Campaigns, Old People's
Welfare Services, Unsound Food prosecutions, and Improvement
Grants feature more prominently in today's annual review.
Vital Statistics
These statistics are given later in the report in the form of a
summary and Tables showing total Deaths, Cancer Deaths and
Tuberculosis mortality. The Maternal mortality rate was nil but infant
mortality rate showed a slight increase from 15.20 to 16.13. The Birth
rate increased from 13.60 to 14.49 and the Death rate decreased from
11.53 to 10.96 reflecting 1,116 live births and 908 deaths during 1963.
Satisfactory features of these rates are the reduction of stillbirths from
16 to eight, and of the perinatal mortality rate from 25.42 to 16.01.
Other death rates with a decrease were those of Cancer, Pulmonary
Tuberculosis, Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis and the neonatal mortality
rate.