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To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS.
Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the abridged report on the health and sanitary
condition of the Borough during the year 1946.
Several changes in staff took place during the period. Dr. E. H. R. Smithard
returned from war service in May and was at the end of the year appointed Medical
Officer of Health of Lewisham. The Senior Sanitary Inspector, Mr. E. L. Peddie,
resigned in April, and in June Mr. D. Grant was appointed in his place. Mr. G.
Walker, Sanitary Inspector, returned to work in September, having been seconded
to Civil Defence duties during the war, and Mr. G. C. E. Gibbs, Sanitary Inspector,
returned from the Forces in June. Miss N. K. Fitzmaurice, Health Visitor, retired
in December, 1945, and Miss B. Maryon was appointed in April to replace her.
Mrs. L. C. Jones, Health Visitor, resigned in May and was replaced in June by
Miss K. E. Harvey. In September the increase in the pre-school population and the
absorption of a considerable amount of a health visitor's time in work connected
with the premature infant scheme necessitated the appointment of two additional
health visitors, Miss N. Daniells and Miss P. Dax.
The population increased during the year from 36,960 to 42,600. This was
34,680 less than in 1939. The births numbered 995, 298 more than in 1945, the
birth rate being 23.36, the highest since 1926 when the rate was 23.5. Of these
births 69 were registered as illegitimate. The infant mortality rate was 32 per 1,000,
the second lowest rate recorded in the borough, the previous low rate being 31 per
1,000 in 1939. The infant mortality rate in illegitimate infants was 43 compared
with a rate of 81 in 1939. The stillbirth rate was 27. The death rate for the year
was 14.41 having been 16.4 in 1945. The maternal mortality rate was 2.01 per
1,000 live births.
There was no outbreak of infectious disease during the year and although
measles cases increased from 449 in 1945 to 562 in 1946, and whooping cough cases
from 67 to 163, no death from either disease was recorded. There were 13 cases
of diphtheria, 11 less than in 1945, and 73 cases of scarlet fever, but no death
occurred from either disease. One death occurred from cerebro-spinal-fever. Of
the 88 notified cases of tuberculosis, 78 were of the pulmonary type and 10 of the
non-pulmonary type, an increase of 14 notifications of pulmonary and 4 of nonpulmonary,
the notification rate being 2.07 per 1,000 population. The deaths
from tuberculosis numbered 43, the death rate being 1.01 as compared with 1.09
in 1945.
The number of children who completed a full course of primary immunisation
against diphtheria during the year was 660 under 5 years of age and 336 from
5—15 years of age. At 31st December, 1946, 43 per cent, of children under 5 years
and 56 per cent, of children 5—15 years had been immunised. In November,
1945, the Ministry of Health issued circulars 193/45 and 194/45 placing the
responsibility for immunising children under school age upon the Welfare Authority.
It was recommended that the duty of securing the immunisation of these children
should be placed upon the health visitor for the district.
The number of premature births notified during the year was 70, of which 2
were stillborn; 51 of these births, including the two still-births, occurred in
hospital and 19 at home. Of those born in an institution, 3 died during the first
24 hours and 41 survived at the end of the first month. Of the 19 born at home,
1 died during the first 24 hours and 14 survived at the end of the first month. At
the end of the year 51 of the infants born prematurely survived. All premature
births notified were supervised by the health visitor responsible for this work, who