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2
ANNUAL REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE YEAR 1954
To the Chairman and Members of the
Ruislip-Northwood Urban District Council
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the year 1954 there was no excessive incidence
of any infectious disease, nor in fact was there any
untoward happening at all from the public health point of
view.
The mid-year population of the District for 1954 was
assessed at 72,070 and the number of inhabited dwellings
was 20,981. The vital statistics can on the whole be
regarded as satisfactory; the corrected birth rate of
12 99 and the corrected death rate of 8 9 both comparing
favourably with the national rates of 15.2 and 11,3
respectively. The infant mortality rate of 2C.8, while
lower than the national rate of 25.5, still gives cause
for much thought. A table is included in the report
shewing the causes of death and age at death of those
infants who died under the age of one year. From this it
will be seen that the majority of these infants succumbed
to conditions which in the present state of knowledge are
not preventable. There is obviously great need for much
research into these conditions and, indeed, this is being
actively carried out in many places. It is becoming clear
that a number of conditions which may lead to still-birth
may, also, in other cases, lead to death in the first few
hours or days, and that in future, to get a more clear
idea of what is occurring, it may be necessary to
classify still-births and early deaths together as having
a common causation.
Once again, there has been no case of diphtheria in
the District. This encouraging situation is likely to