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5
COUNTY BOROUGH OF CROYDON
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
AND
PRINCIPAL SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER
FOR THE YEAR 1964
To the Chairman and Members of the Health Committee
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
I have the honour to present the last Annual Report on the
health of the people of the County Borough of Croydon and the
relevant services of the County Borough of Croydon, for the year
ending December 31st 1964.
Statistics
These show levels of general good health which my predecessor
in 1889, presenting his first report to the County Borough
Council would have forecast with diffidence. The Registrar
General estimated a decrease in the population and there were
fever births than in 1963. This fall in the birth rate may be
related to a change in the trend to marriage at earlier ages,
The percentage of couples under 21 years of age who were married
to 1964 was below the record high figure of the preceding year,
The infant mortality and the general death rates equalled the
lowest rates yet recorded. There was not a single death due to
Pregnancy or childbirth. The increase in the percentage of
illegitimate babies continued, but infant mortality in this
group was fractionally less than that for all babies. Deaths
from suicide were fewer than the record high number in 1963. The
number of deaths from cancer, amongst those under 65 years of
was lower than in previous years. In 1889 the major public
health problems were infectious diseases and infant mortality.