View report page

4
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Erith
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report for
the year 1959 which is prepared on the lines set out in
Circular 1/60 of the Ministry of Health.
The Registrar-General's estimate of the mid-year population
for the Borough is 45,700 (45,880 in 1958). On the
basis of the statistical information available, the health of
the Borough was well maintained. Although, as I have
indicated in the past, these figures give only a partial picture
of the health situation of the area, they do present
collectively a conspectus of the position which is at
least objective and capable of comparison with other areas
in the country as a whole. The environmental services
operated by the Council under a wide range of health legislation
are, of course, complementary to the Health and Welfare
Services operated by the Kent County Council under
the National Health Service Act, 1946 and the National
Assistance Act, 1948 and which comprise a range of
personal health services vital to every section of the
community—the young, the old, the infirm and those who
are physically or mentally handicapped. During the year
the Borough Council gave evidence before the Royal Commission
on Local Government in Greater London and it is
hoped the recommendations of the latter will achieve a
degree of unification of all the health services in the area
which is so much to be desired.
The standardised death rate for 1959 was 11.8 per
thousand of the home population compared with 11.6 for
the whole of England and Wales. In 1958 the comparable
death rate was 12.91, the practical point being that there
were 47 fewer deaths during 1959 than in 1958. The standardised
birth rate was 15.08 per thousand estimated home
population compared with 16.5 per thousand for the country
as a whole. Nine infants died during the first year of life
giving an infant mortality rate of 13.06 per thousand live
births compared with a rate for England and Wales of
22.2 per thousand. This low rate for Erith reflects the
relatively favourable environmental and social conditions
obtaining in the Borough. It is worthy of note that six of
the nine infantile deaths occurred during the first week of life