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3
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, 1955.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for 1955.
The area of the District is 12,401 acres. The population is
approximately 109,000 and the number of inhabitated houses
31,219.
Last year I referred particularly to the introduction of the
Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954 and the Slaughterhouse
Act, 1954, both of which came into force during 1954. A full
calendar year of operation of these Acts has now been completed.
In accordance with the provisions of the Housing Repairs
and Rents Act, the Council submitted to the Minister of Housing
and Local Government, proposals for dealing during the next six
years with 356 houses unfit for human habitation. During the
year under review action was taken with regard to 47 such houses.
A considerable amount of work was also undertaken in connection
with part 2 of the Act, 40 applications for Certificates of Disrepair
and 87 applications for revocation of Certificates being dealt with.
The volume and responsibility of the work deriving from the
slaughterhouse is shown by the increase from 9,175 to 33,284 in
the number of carcases examined.
With regard to the vital statistics of the Borough, the Birth
Rate was somewhat lower than last year, being the second lowest
this century, namely 12.49 compared with 12.38 in 1953.
Compared with 1954 there was a reduction in the Death Rate,
and quite a gratifying reduction in the Still Birth Rate from 25.44
to 15.89. Unfortunately there was one woman who died in consequence
of childbirth.