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4
Public Health Department,
Council Offices,
Billet Lane,
HORNCHURCH.
24th September, 1947.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Hornchurch Urban District Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Annual Report for the year 1946.
In conformity with the suggestions of the Minister of Health
a considerable amount of detail has been omitted.
The general health of the population has remained good. The
birth rate at 21.3 is the highest recorded since the constitution of
the Urban District, and is also higher than that for the country
as a whole (19.1).
The death rate at 9.0 is materially lower than the country as
a whole (11.5) and the same applies to the infant mortality rate
of 41.0.
Among the causes of death, heart disease plays the general
part (with a total of 204) followed by cancer with 147. Premature
births and other causes associated with foetal development and the
mechanism of childbirth accounted for 54 deaths, a calamitous
waste of life to which research and ante-natal care are doing their
best to provide an answer.
Infectious diseases during the year were in general of a mild
type and without any unduly high incidence.
Comment is made in the body of the report on certain other
features of importance.
I must express my indebtedness to Dr. P. X. O'Dwyer for his
unfailing assistance. It is a source of considerable satisfaction that
he remains available.
I must also sincerely acknowledge the help which I have
obtained invariably from the Chief Officers and staffs in other
Council Departments as well as from my own staff.
I must also express my appreciation to the County Medical
Officer of Health, Dr. W. A. Bullough, with whose Department
close liaison must naturally exist, and to Dr. E. James, Medical
Superintendent of the Rush Green Isolation Hospital for his
readiness in dealing with the hospitalisation of infectious cases at
any time.
James Gorman, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H.,
Medical Officer of Health.