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13
TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF
THE BOROUGH OF LEYTON.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present herewith my Annual Report on
the health, sanitary circumstances and vital statistics of the
Borough of Leyton for the year 1952, together with reports on the
day-to-day administration of the services delegated by Essex
County Council as Local Health Authority to Leyton Health
Area Sub-committee and as Local Education Authority to Leyton
Committee for Education.
The report contains much information in the form of figures
and facts required by the Ministry of Health and the County
Council ; but it also contains general observations—and special
reports contributed by members of the medical staff—on certain
aspects of the local health services which are of current interest
and are considered to merit special attention.
Vital Statistics.
The post-war high peak in the birth rate was reached in 1947,
the level in that year being 22.35 births per thousand of the population.
Thereafter there has been a progressive decline in the birth
rate each year until 1951, when the rate was 12.52. In 1952,
however, the rate rose slightly to 13.00.
Compared with the previous year, there was in 1952 a reduction
in the general death rate from 13.00 to 11.70 per thousand of the
population. There was, however, an increase in deaths of infants
under one year of age, from 27 in 1951 to 37 in 1952—the infantile
death rate being increased from 20.59 to 27.30 per thousand live
births.
During the year under review one Leyton mother died from
causes connected with pregnancy and childbirth, the maternal
mortality rate being .72.
The natural increase in the population of Leyton (i.e., increase
of births over deaths) was 135.
Further information regarding comparative vital statistics
is to be found on pages 22 to 25.
Census 1951
A most important landmark in the field of vital statistics was
the enumeration and classification of the population in the official