View report page

3
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of
Dagenham.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In presenting my twentieth Annual Report I think it opportune
to invite your attention to a retrospect of the conditions obtaining
when I took up my duties in Dagenham. I would however, make
it very clear that the vastly improved state of the health of the
people cannot fairly be attributed to any one cause, still less to
any one individual.
Population 98,710, number of inhabited houses 21,918,
rateable value £484,108, product of a penny rate £1,875, deaths
attributable to childbirth seven, deaths from measles 21, whooping
cough seven. 124 infants in their first year died, giving an infant
mortality rate of 63.98 per 1,000 live births, the infant mortality
rate for illegitimate infants was 136.36 per 1,000 illegitimate live
births. There were 337 cases of diphtheria, of these 34 were fatal,
755 cases of scarlet fever were notified with one death. Deaths
from tuberculosis 48. That was what happened in 1934.
Turning to 1953 we find the following: Population 114,000,
number of inhabited houses 29,591, rateable value £694,806, product
of a penny rate £2,819, deaths attributable to childbirth
nil, deaths from measles nil, whooping cough nil. 49 infants died
in their first year giving an infant mortality rate of 27.28 per 1,000
live births, the infant mortality rate for illegitimate infants was
30.77 per 1,000 illegitimate live births. There was one case of
diphtheria (unimmunised) who recovered. 236 cases of scarlet
fever were notified, all recovered. Deaths from tuberculosis 22.
INTEGRATING OF
HEALTH SERVICES.
With regard to the integration of the
local health services with the general
medical and hospital and specialist
services, the Chairman of the Health Area Sub-Committee is a
member of. the Local Executive Council and also of a Hospital
Management Committee the catchment area of which covers a large
part of the Borough of Dagenham; additionally the Area Medical
Officer, who is also the Medical Officer of Health, is a member
of a Hospital Management Committee which covers the remainder
of the Borough.
CONTACTS OF
TUBERCULOSIS.
A contacts register is kept in the department
and all contacts of known cases are encouraged
to submit themselves to the Chest
Physician. These contacts are followed up and visited from time
to time by the Health Visitors. They are kept under serveillance
as long as is deemed necessary by the Chest Physician.