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THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
To: The Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of Crayford
Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year 1961 which has
been prepared on the lines set out in Circular 1/62 of the Ministry of Health
The Registrar General’s estimate of the mid-year population is 31,290
(30,920 in 1960)
The vital statistics supplied annually by the General Register Office
indicate that the general trend of the health of the Urban District remains
satisfactory. The standardised death rate was 10.58 per 1.000 of the home
population (11 01 in 1960) compared with 12 0 per 1.000 for England and Wales
The standardised birth rate was 17.18 per 1.000 home population (16 16 in
1960) compared with a rate of 17 4 per 1.000 for the country as a whole The
number of infants who died during the first year of life was 13 (14 in 1960)
giving an infant mortality rate of 22 73 per 1.000 live births (26.6 in 1960)
compared with 21 6 per 1.000 for England and Wales. During the year there was
no maternal death associated with childbirth
For the twelfth year in succession there has been no case of diphtheria
in the Urban District There is no evidence. however. from the fatality rate
of cases occurring in other parts of the country that there has been any waning
of the virulence of this disease and. despite the good record of the area
immunisation against this disease remains a matter of great importance No
case of poliomyelitis occurred in the district during 1961 The availability
of the Sabin oral vaccine and the fall co-operation of the public in accepting
vaccination for all priority groups could well ensure a high degree of freedom
from this disease in the years to come
During 1961 there were 14 deaths from cancer of the lung in the Urban
District (15 in 1960) It has become a duty to re iterate the proven association
between this disease and heavy cigarette smoking and indeed with
atmospheric pollution in general, The recent report of the Royal College of
Physicians on Smoking and Health has brought this matter to the forefront as
one of the outstanding public health problems of the day and some beneficial
results may already be discerned One example of this is the agreement which
has been reached between the Independent Television Authority and the tobacco
industry to secure modifications that will include the avoidance of those
aspects of advertising which make a special appeal to young people, The smoking
habit is so deeply ingrained as to appear almost ineradicable but nevertheless
the issue must be kept alive by all who are responsible for the education and
health of the younger generation.
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