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3
COUNTY BOROUGH OF CROYDON.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
AND
SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER
For the Year 1938.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Public Health Committee.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present herewith my eleventh Annual
Report, being the thirty-ninth of the series, dealing with the
various branches of work carried out under the Public Health,
Housing, Food and Drugs, Mental Deficiency and other Acts
and Orders. There is also incorporated my report, as School
Medical Officer, to the Education Committee.
The report is divided into Sections for convenience of reference
and includes the information required by Circular 1728 of
the Ministry of Health, dated October 25th, 1938.
Epidemiology and Vital Statistics.
As a contrast to 1937, the year 1938 was a remarkably
healthy year in Croydon. The general death rate fell from 11.6
to 10.3 per 1,000 of the population; the infantile mortality rate
from 60 per 1,000 live births to a new low level of 40, whilst the
maternal mortality rate fell from 3.87 per 1,000 total births to
0.87. This latter is a remarkably low figure and was attained
because in only three cases was death attributed to accidents of
pregnancy and child birth.
Of the general causes of death, Heart Disease and Diseases
of the Circulatory system once again head the list with a slight
increase over 1937. Diseases of the Respiratory System, however,
declined from 1.56 per 1,000 of the population to 0.84.
Deaths from communicable diseases were also fewer,
Influenza declining from 71 deaths to 21; Diarrhoea from 38 to