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COULSDON AND PURLEY URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Ladies and Gentleman,
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1953, this
being my twenty-second report as your Medical Officer of Health.
It will be noted that in general and as judged by the vital
statistics the health of the District remained good.
The Birth Rate was a fraction lower than the very low level
reached in the previous year, but the percentage of illegitimate
births and the Stillbirth Rate also remained low.
The Death Rate in respect of those who were formerly considered
to have been the normal residents of this District improved
to the post-war average, but unfortunately, as will appear later,
the position has been somewhat confused by the Registrar
General's new system of allocation, whereby all deaths occurring in
the two mental hospitals are now attributed to this District, and
not transferred to the place of former residence.
Temporarily ignoring this artificial inflation, however, it has
to be noted that there was again a further slight rise in the Cancer
Death Rate, chiefly due to the increasing number of deaths from
cancer of the lungs among males, but on the other hand the
Tuberculosis Death Rate decreased as did that from heart and
circulatory diseases. There was one maternal death after two
clear years. Unfortunately, there was a further rise in the Infant
Mortality Rate which was higher than the corresponding rate for
the Country as a whole, which latter was once again the lowest
ever. About a third of the infant deaths in the District were preventable,
most of these being due to infections, and this fact
presents an obvious challenge to all concerned, including parents.
Apart from measles, which was very wide spread, the incidence
of infectious disease was about the normal for recent years,
scarlet fever and pneumonia showing a slight increase but
dysentery and whooping cough being less common. Poliomyelitis
was rather more prevalent nationally, but there were only
9 definite cases in the District and only one of these was severe.
No death occurred, and 6 of the cases recovered with very slight
paralysis, if any.
It is satisfactory to be able to record a steady improvement
in the hygienic conditions of the food supply, and particularly in
the standard of cleanliness of the milk and ice cream sold in the
District; also to note the decreased number of complaints received
in respect of nuisances and the beneficial effect of the Council's
action in reducing nuisances liable to be caused by gipsy encampments.
As the problem of housing is entering a new phase and slum
clearance and the rehabilitation of delapidated property are again
to be treated as urgent matters, emphasis must be placed on the
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