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COULSDON AND PURLEY URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1955,
this being my twenty-fourth report as your Medical Officer of
Health.
As in previous years, this Report has been prepared in accordance
with the instructions of the Minister, but it had been hoped
to experiment with a re-arrangement of its contents and to give
more positive advice on the achievement of good health. Unfortunately,
owing to the increasing demands on the service this
proved impracticable this year. Nevertheless it is hoped that it
will be found to contain food for thought, even in the maligned
statistics, although it is less appetisingly presented than one would
have wished.
Last year it was noted that 1954 would be remembered as
being comparatively sunless with a wet Summer and Autumn, but
in spite of this a good one from the point of view of the public
health. Meteorologically 1955 apparently provided a marked contrast
with a dry and sunny Spring and Summer, although for the
third year in succession there was but little difference in the total
rainfall.
On the whole the public health remained good as judged by
the usual standards, but some of the infectious diseases were more
prevalent. The birth rate remained at a slightly higher level,
while illegitimacy and the proportion of still births were less, and
there were no maternal deaths.
As was expected, the infant mortality rate increased after
the exceptionally low level reached in 1954, and similarly, the
general death rate among ordinary residents increased slightly,
although still well below the recent average. The cancer death rate
again decreased slightly, but the proportion of male deaths due to
lung cancer was again relatively high. Deaths due to accidents in
the home showed a welcome decrease, but those caused by road
accidents were relatively high.
Slightly more new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were notified,
possibly attributable in part to earlier detection due to a visit
of the Mass X-ray Unit. Counterbalancing this is the steady
improvement in the death rates from all forms of tuberculosis.
The year was indeed a "measles year" with the extraordinary
contrast of 1,012 notified cases compared with only 9 in 1954,
and 1,319 in 1953.
The other very prevalent infectious disease was a mild form
of dysentery. Poliomyelitis also increased but, although the number
of notified cases (17) was the highest yet reached locally, it is
doubtful whether the District did in fact experience its greatest
prevalence. There were only 3 really serious cases, all in adults,
including one isolated fatal case in January; the remainder had
very slight paralysis, if any, after treatment.
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