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8
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF SHOREDITCH
To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS.
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit the annual report on the progress of the health services of your
authority during 1938.
The vital statistics show that in the middle of 1938 the population of the district,
as estimated by the Registrar General, was 80,360. This is a decrease of 1,880 on
the previous year, compared with an estimated decrease of 3,160 for the previous
year, and is the smallest estimated decrease since the 1931 census. It would therefore
appear that the curve indicating a lowering population is flattening out and this is
confirmatory of what I mentioned as a probable tendency in the annual report of
last year. In 1938 the birth rate was 14.70 per thousand population (against 14.86
in the previous year). The birth rate during the last few years has shown a considerable
degree of stability. The crude death rate was 11.4 per thousand population (against
12.47 per thousand in 1937) and apart from 1935 when it was 11.3, the figure appears
to be the lowest on record. As I have pointed out before, the crude death rate is
not by itself a good criterion of the health of the community, as it varies with so
many factors.
The infant mortality rate for 1938 was 64 per thousand births. This was 10 per
thousand higher than the previous year but 11 per thousand lower than in 1936.
I pointed out in my last report that the infant mortality rate varied considerably
from year to year and this was especially due to the enteritis group of diseases. The
figures this year bear this point out as deaths from the enteritis group in children
under one year of age increased from eleven to twenty-five and therefore in themselves
could account for the whole increase in the infant mortality rate. The difficulties
of attacking these diseases in a poor congested district are immense but they should
not be insuperable, and special efforts are now being made by the department both
by general propaganda and by individual visiting and instruction to see what can
be done to save infant life from this group of diseases.
Included in the report for the first time is an analysis of the work done at
the toddlers' clinic. A glance at tables NoS. 91 to 93 will indicate the necessity for
this clinic and for arranging treatment for the defects found. It will be seen that
no less than 64 children out of 236 were found to require treatment other than dental
treatment. It must be remembered that many of the defects found are of minor