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Town Hall,
Dyne Road, Kilburn, N.W. 6.
1st May, 1930.
To the Willesden Urban District Council—
The Local Sanitary Authority,
and the Local Education Authority.
I beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Report for Willesden for the year 1929. This
Report includes:—
(i.) The 54th Annual Report on the health and sanitary condition of the district;
(ii.) The 22nd Annual Report on the health of children attending the public elementary
schools;
(iii.) The 10th Annual Report on the health of children attending secondary schools;
(iv.) The 12th Annual Report on dental work in connection with children attending the
public elementary schools, expectant and nursing mothers and children
under 5 years;
(v.) The 10th Annual Report on home nursing;
(vi.) The 15th Annual Report on the provision of meals to children attending the public
elementary schools;
(vii.) The 38th Annual Report on the Municipal Hospital.
The Report is written in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Health and
Board of Education.
VITAL STATISTICS.
The estimated population of Willesden at Midsummer, 1929, was 177,973.
2,714 births occurred in Willesden during 1929, giving a birth rate of 15.25 per 1,000 of the
population, as against 15.10 in 1928.
2,019 deaths occurred in 1929, giving a death rate of 11.34 per 1,000 of the population. This
total number of deaths compares with a total of 1,727 in the previous year, and a death-rate of 9.78
in 1928. This increase of 292 deaths is mainly accounted for by a prevalence of respiratory affections,
912 cases of Whooping Cough and 402 of Pneumonia being notified in 1929 as compared with 281
cases of Whooping Cough and 273 of Pneumonia in 1928. As a result, deaths from Pneumonia and
other diseases of respiration increased by 104 as compared with 1928, Influenza showed an increase
of 62 deaths as compared with 1928, Tuberculosis of the respiratory system an increase of 55 deaths,
and Whooping Cough an increase of 16 deaths as compared with 1928, or a total increase from these
causes of 237 deaths as compared with 1928. In addition it is to be remembered that acute diseases
of the respiratory system greatly increase the work of the heart, and that during the prevalence of
respiratory diseases deaths on account of the failure of the heart correspondingly increase. In 1929
there were no less than 441 deaths from heart disease and other diseases of the circulatory system
as compared with 360 in 1928, or an increase of 81.
The infant mortality rate in 1929 was 61 per 1,000 births.
165 deaths of infants under one year occurred. 141 or 85 per cent. of these 165 deaths
were due to:—
1. Congenital Malformations 17, Premature Birth 61, Atrophy, Debility and Marasmus
7, Atelectasis 9;
2. Diarrhoea and Enteritis 11;
3. Whooping Cough 7;
4. Measles 0;
5. Bronchitis 7, and
6. Pneumonia 22.
Year by year these six causes of death account for some 80-85 per cent. of all deaths of infants
under one year of age and active measures are required to prevent these conditions proving fatal.
CANCER.
Cancer continues to take a heavy toll of the population. In 1929 there were 239 deaths from this
cause as compared with 240 in 1928, and 217 in 1927.
For the past six years the subject of Cancer has been specially before the Council and the year
under review was marked by the establishment of Cancer Centres. Details of the establishment
of these clinics and their working and cost will be found in Appendices E and F.
The noteworthy features in connection with the Cancer clinics which have been established
by the local authority are that the Press have actively co-operated with the Council, giving the widest
possible publicity to the importance of early diagnosis in cases of Cancer, that the Hospitals have