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To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The report of the health department for 1943 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 again increased, and were 671 as against 642. The Registrar-General
estimated that there was at the same time a slight increase in the population, but in
spite of this the birth rate, i.e., the number of births per thousand population, went
up from 18.39 to 18.92, which is the highest rate since 1930. The infant mortality
rate for the year again decreased, this time from 51 to 46, which is pleasingly low for
a borough of this type, but which, being based on relatively small figures, is not likely
to be stable. It is no less than 12 per thousand below the figure for London as a
whole. The biggest cause of deaths of infants under one year of age was premature
birth, with the high total of 13. cases. Deaths from diarrhoea and enteritis remained
relatively low, only four occurring under one year of age in spite of an epidemic of
enteritis in the latter part of the year. Some further remarks on the infant mortality
rate occur later in this introduction and are illustrated by a new table placed on the
last page of the report. The general death rate, which for 1943 was 15.7, although
still above the average for the last 10 years, shows a decrease on 1942 and a considerable
decrease on 1941.
With regard to infectious disease, points of interest are that the pneumonia
group again showed a considerable decrease in mortality, while dysentery showed
a large increase in incidence, although there were no deaths from it. The type of
dysentery was that due to an organism called Sonne's bacillus and it began spreading
about July, 1943. In September, possibly as a result of the warm weather and
increase in flies, two of the nurseries were affected. It was of a very mild type but
gave rise to considerable administrative trouble and expense in the detection of
carriers and to inconvenience in the exclusion of children from the nurseries, one
of which was closed for a few weeks. There was also a considerable increase in the
number of cases of scarlet fever, but here again the disease was mild and no death
was registered from it. Measles remained fairly prevalent, and, much more serious,
the notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis increased by nearly one-third.
During June a new scheme of tuberculosis allowances came into existence as
part of a wider scheme for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The
intention is to help keep the home going while necessary treatment is being carried
out. The wartime official purpose is the restoration of the patient to working
capacity, and for that reason cases unlikely to be so restored are excluded. The
scheme only applies to pulmonary cases. The allowances are " maintenance," and
also possibly "discretionary" (for high rents, mortgages, education, etc.), or
" special " (for example, travelling, domestic help). Figures to the end of the year
are given in the table on page 6.
The borough's nursery scheme was completed during the year. Mayfield continued
to fill a real need as a short-stay holiday or convalescent home for toddlers,
and at the end of the year it was decided to renew the lease for a further five years.
Copthorne was open throughout the year but owing to a mild but persistent
streptococcal infection it was deliberately not filled to capacity. During the year
the third war-time nursery, at Vince Street, was opened and this had accommodation
for 62 children between the ages of 0 and 5. Apart from the diarrhoea and dysentery
cases referred to above there is little to report in the nursery work. The benefit
to the childrens' conduct, appearance and mental development is clearly seen, and
probably easily outweighs the extra risk of picking up infectious disease.