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To the MA YOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The report of the health department for 1942 is again an interim statement
recording only the basic facts of the work done.
The vital statistics show that the number of births classified as belonging to
the borough were slightly more than those for 1941, namely 642 as against 6.34.
At the same time there was a moderate decrease in the population as estimated by
the Registrar-General, and therefore the birth rate (i.e. number of births per 1,000
population) has gone up—from 17.44 to 18.39, which is the highest rate since 1930.
The infant mortality rate for the year again decreased, this time from 63 to 51.
Since the average for the last ten years has been 65 for Shoreditch and the same for
the whole of London, and the London figure for 1942 is 60, this can be regarded as
quite satisfactory. The biggest cause of death in infants under one year of age
was congenital malformations, birth injuries, etc., from which 12 infants died.
Diarrhoea and enteritis sank to third place with only four deaths. The general
death rate, which for 1942 was 17.5, although still above the average for the last
ten years shows a considerable decrease from the rate of 24.2 for 1941. However,
a considerable proportion of this is due to the fact that deaths from " other violent
causes " decreased from 203 to 15.
With regard to infectious disease, points of special interest are that the pneumonia
group showed a considerable decrease, while the dysentery group showed a considerable
increase. It was almost an epidemic year for measles, nearly double the
cases occurring compared with 1941. A special note should be made of tuberculosis.
In my last two reports I have expressed considerable concern with regard to the
increase in cases in proportion to the population. This year it is pleasing to record
that the total notifications of tuberculosis decreased from 110 to 78 (with only a
small decrease in the population) and of these cases of tuberculosis, only 62 were
of the lungs, as against 97 in the previous year. I think it likely that one of the
reasons for the decrease has been the infrequent use of public shelters, with consequent
unlikelihood of overcrowding in these shelters. I pointed out this danger in my
report for 1940, but the very definite infectious origin of cases of tuberculosis is
only now coming to be fully realised. An article in " The Lancet " in July, 1943,
drew an alarming picture of the infectivity of the disease among evacuated children.
It was found that two of these children who were suffering from tuberculosis had
infected a total of fifteen other children in their billets or school classes. Some
of the children had died and a number of others are still undergoing institutional
treatment. It is admitted that children are more liable to infection with tuberculosis
than adults, but nevertheless with facts such as these, any return to the
shelter life of 1940-41 can only be regarded with considerable fear.
The borough's nursery scheme, by the end of the year, was almost complete.
Mayfield continued to fill a real need as a short-stay holiday or convalescent home
for toddlers. Effingham House, Copthorne, was purchased during the year and
after a considerable amount of adaptation was opened at the end of November.
This is a residential nursery for 52 evacuated children at all ages under five. The
Sun Babies' Nursery was re-opened in March and has accommodation for 60 children
from 0-5. Brunswick nursery, for which the Brunswick Special School premises
in Haggerston Road were adapted, was opened in June, and has accommodation
also for 60 children—nearly all from 2-5. During the year, plans were got out and
approved for a further nursery at Vince Street to accommodate 62 children of all
ages between 0 and 5. With the completion of the nurseries, a considerable nursery
staff will be employed, and will include about 25 probationers and about 32 other