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2.
To the MAYOR, AIDER MEN and COUNCILLORS of SHOREDITCH,
MT. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen.
In presenting my Annual Report for the year 1948, I have to
point out that the references to the Maternity and Child Welfare
and Tuberculosis dispensary services refer only to the period up
to 5th July, 1948 when these were transferred mainly to the London
County Council and partly to the North-East Metropolitan Regional
Hospital Board, (The Municipal Midwives were transferred to the
L.C.C. as early as February 16th). The Borough Medical Officer
of Health continues however, to be responsible to the London
County Council for day-to-day administration of most of these
services.
This implementation of the National Health Service Act involved
the transference of the bulk of the department's staff to
the County Council and Hospital Board, as indicated on the list,
and their valuable services, including those of our only Assistant
Medical Officer, Dr. E,C. McGregor, are sadly missed. It is
fortunate for the locality, however, that almost all of them still
have their headquarters within the Borough The duties remaining
to the retained staff keep them fully extended, especially in
view of the increased work needed by the spread of the Borough
Welfare services and by Acts other than the National Health
Service Act, I would like here, to express my appreciation to
the whole staff, both transferred and retained, for their loyal
and unstinted devotion during this difficult period, The department's
Chief Clerk and Administrative Officer, Mr, E.G.Wilsher,
retired in August after a lifetime's valuable service to the
Borough, and his work was added to the duties of our active Chief
Sanitary Inspector, Mr. D. Grant,,
The resident population at mid-year was estimated by the
Registrar-General at 44.960,. The birth-rate, in common with that
of the rest of the country, was decidedly lower, having fallen
from 23.18 to 18.97, However -the still-birth rate fell much
more in proportion, from 29.74 to 16.15 per 1,000 total births,
and the crude death rate also dropped from 14.82 to 11,78, over
of the latter being in public institutions . Our single
maternal death resulting from septic abortion self-induced,also
occurred in a public institution. The infantile mortality rate
showed a gratifying fall to a total of 24 62 per 1,000 live
births, (legitimate births only accounting for 23.81, while
illegitimate were 36.36). This is easily an all-time record in
the Borough to date, and compares very favourably with that of
far less-crowded Boroughs, In addition, it must be noted, that
once again, although one third of these deaths were associated
with prematurity, no child who survived the first week of life