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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR 1947.
Town Hall,
Anerley Road, S.E. 20.
June, 1948.
To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of Penge.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,
I beg to present an Annual Report on the health of the district for the year
ending the 31st December, 1947.
It is compiled in accordance with Circular 170 (1947) of the Ministry of
Health.
Before giving the detailed statistics I would like to draw attention to
several features in this Report which can be regarded with satisfaction. The
Birth Rate is again high and there have been no maternal deaths during the year,
and the Stillbirth Rate compares favourably with the rest of the Country. The
Death Rate for infants under one year is very little higher than last year, which
was the lowest recorded in Penge since it became an Urban District.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Clinic sessions continued to be attended
in increasing numbers, except for Ante-Natal cases which showed the expected
decline. The restricted Clinic accommodation continued to cause difficulty in
dealing expeditiously with the numbers attending. The Maternity Hospital and
Farnborough Hospital were able to cope with all maternity cases which required
to be admitted for their confinements.
The Day Nursery continued to serve a very real need in the area and there
was almost always a short waiting list of children requiring admission.
During the year, there was an outbreak of Poliomyelitis throughout the
Country, four cases occurring in Penge, but fortunately, these were of a mild
type and none proved fatal.
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA.
Area (acres) 770
Population (Census 1931) 27,771
Civilian Population mid-year 1947 (estimated by Registrar-General) 24,410
Rateable Value 1st October, 1947 £195,797
Sum represented by 1d. rate £787
The Manager of the Employment Exchange informed me that there were
considerably fewer than 100 persons unemployed in the Penge Urban District
at the end of the year, which was slightly better than in 1946.
The Out-door relief given to the unemployable from age or other causes
during the year amounted to £10,703. This compares with an amount of £11,200,
of which £12 was to able-bodied unemployed and their families, in the year 1946.