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To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS of the
BOROUGH of SOUTH GATE.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present to you the Annual Report of the
Medical Officer of Health for the year 1943.
The Report is again a very short one, in accordance
with the instructions of the Ministry of Health,
but the record of the Council's Medical Services during
the year is a good one, and the vital statistics generally
again show an improvement on those for the previous year.
The number of births occurring in the Borough for the
first time passed the figure of 1,000, and at 1,088 gives
a Birth Rate of 15.55, the highest rate since 192 0. The
Death Rate of 12.2 is rather higher than that for 1942,
but the Infantile Mortality Rate of 35 is appreciably
lower than 36.7, the rate for 1942. The number of cases
of infectious disease notified was high, due mostly to
the prevalence of measles, but the infectious deaths were
very few.
The only changes in staff during the year were in
the Sanitary Inspectors. Mr. L. Skeeles, the Senior
Inspector was off duty on account of illness from the
beginning of February until the end of the year. Mr. H.
Hill was suspended from duty in April and resigned in
November, and Mr. J. D. Dant commenced duty as an Inspector
at the end of September. For five months the whole work
of the Sanitary Inspectors had to be done by the remaining
Inspector, Mr. A. E. Gooday, so far as it was possible for
one man to cover all the ground.
I would like to express my thanks to the Chairmen
and Members of the Public Health and Maternity and Child
Welfare committees for the support they have consistently
given to the work of the Health Department, and to the
members of the staff of the Department for their loyal
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