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Crayford Urban District Council.
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District
Council and Health Committee.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1 have the honour to submit the Annual Report
for the year 1948 in view of the fact that Dr. M. A. G.
Ward, who was the Medical Officer of Health during this
period, has now resigned on taking up his appointment as
an Area Medical Officer of the Kent County Council.
The vital statistics for the year under review are
satisfactory and would lead one to believe that conditions
of life in the Urban District are, generally, conducive to
the health and longevity of its citizens. For examplei
the Death Rate at 7.5 per 1,000 of the population compares
favourably with the Death Rate of 10.8 for the
whole of England and Wales, a state of affairs) which
has been noted, annually, during past years. The Infant
Mortality Rate, that sensitive index of social conditions,
at 19.9 per 1,000 live births is the lowest ever reqorded
in the area. The Birth Rate at 18.4, although lower than
the rate of 22 per 1,000 during 1947, has shown only
minor variations during the past 25 years and has consistently
been above the general level for the country as
a whole. During the year there were no deaths of
mothers as a result of childbirth and a maternal mortality
rate of nil may be regarded as an indication that
ante-natal and midwifery services in the locality are
satisfactory.
During 1948, also, there was only one case of
diphtheria, the first to occur since 1942—a very remarkable
record and one which may not be unconnected
with the success of the immunisation campaign.
There were also no deaths due to measles or
whooping cough, the number of deaths in the previous
year being 1 and 3 respectively and there were, further,
no deaths from infantile diarrhoea which is one of the
reasons for the low Infant Mortality Rate.
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