View report page

To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS of the
BOROUGH of SOUTHGATE.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Annual Report of the Medical
Officer of Health for 1945.
It will be appreciated that I was absent from the
Borough during the whole of 1945, while serving in
H. M. Forces, and that this report deals entirely with
work supervised by the Acting Medical Officer of
Health, Dr. Malcolm Manson.
I should like to take this opportunity of thanking
Dr. Manson for the most valuable services which he
rendered during my absence in the Forces. Very largely
due to Dr. Manson's continued efforts, it has been
easy for me to take up my civil duties in a smooth and
pleasant manner. The same remarks apply to Dr. G.
Macdonald, who acted as locum at the Isolation
Hospital during my absence.
The present report follows the pattern imposed
upon us by necessity during the war. It is little
more than a factual record of statistics, although
opportunity has been taken to make such comments as
are called for, throughout the report. It is to be
hoped that improved conditions will allow a fuller
report to be issued next year., when the entire
situation can be reviewed in the light of past
experience, and suggestions made as to expansion in
the future.
The year under review was satisfactory from a
health point of view. The birth-rate shows a drop,
although it is still considerably higher than the
average for the pre-war years. The death-rate is
slightly reduced, while the infantile mortality rate
remains practically the same as that for the previous
year. The infectious sickness rate rose considerably,
but as this was almost entirely due to the fact that
- 1 -