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BOROUGH OF WILLESDEN
Health Department,
54, Winchester Avenue,
Kilburn, London, N.W.6.
July, 1960.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Willesden.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit the annual report of the health and circumstances of the borough for the year 1959.
There was a further slight decrease in the population, but this does not seem to have relieved the
overcrowding in the borough very much. Housing still remains the main problem in the area, and although
the Council is carrying out large schemes for rehousing, many cases of serious overcrowding are reported to
the Health Department; often very little can be done for them. Overcrowding and bad housing remain the
most serious threats to health in the borough.
During the year public inquiries were held on two clearance areas in South Kilburn and another area
was confirmed by the Minister. Large surveys have been made of houses in both Stonebridge and Willesden
Green for schemes of redevelopment and improvement. Also many tenants living in very poor conditions in
the basements of Granville Road were rehoused.
There was a further rise in the birth rate and despite an increase in the proportion delivered at hospital
and a fall in the numbers delivered at home, the midwives were often overburdened with work because
of shortage of staff. About nine out of ten mothers are now delivered in hospitals or nursing homes. Owing
to the pressure on hospital beds some mothers have to be admitted as an emergency because no bed has been
available for them at the time of booking. This often leads to misunderstanding and ill-feeling among the
medical personnel involved, and sometimes to complications.
It is pleasing to report that no mothers died during the year as a result of childbirth, but it is
difficult to assess how many mothers suffered disability because of the inadequacy of the services.
There was a further fall in the infant mortality rate and also of that of infants under four weeks
of age. There was, however, a slight rise in the number of deaths of illegitimate infants under four weeks
and under 1 year old. There was also a rise in the total number of illegitimate babies.
There was a fall in the stillbirth rate, which must now be considered together with deaths of very
young babies. It is significant that over three-quarters of the babies who died in the first year failed to
survive the first two days. Clearly the causes for these deaths must be similar to those of stillbirths.
Prematurity is again the most important single factor in infant mortality, accounting for over onethird
of the deaths. Social conditions play an important role in this, and the number of premature births
in the poorer wards is at least twice as high as those in the more properous ones. Carlton ward, as usual,
shows the highest infant mortality rate, being four times as high as the more prosperous wards.
There were no deaths from gastro-enteritis but twelve babies died from broncho-pneumonia; their
home conditions were generally unsatisfactory with overcrowding as a prominent feature. A special study
was made of congenital malformations, responsible for thirteen deaths, but all the pregnancies were normal
and there was no history of virus infection or ill effects of pelvic radiation.
With the improvement of health in our children there is a more rapid maturing which clearly
increases the risks of having illegitimate babies. There is a need in the borough for more education on these
matters so that school children can go out into the world of industry and commerce more prepared to deal
with the various hazards they might meet.
The common infectious diseases no longer kill or cripple children as they did in the past. However,
the satisfaction expressed in the last report on the lowest recorded number of whooping cough cases since
1919 was premature: in 1959 the numbers were almost trebled. However, this is not very significant because
apart from last year there was only one other year in which numbers were lower.