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2.
To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS of the METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OP SHOREDITCH.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In introducing the Annual Report on the state of the public health in
Shoreditch for 1959, I should state that the Minister of Health has again
requested that, apart from a few minor additions, the report should follow the
same lines as laid down for several years past. One of these additions, however,
- the perinatal mortality - which shows the combined stillbirths and
deaths under 1 week per 1000 total live - and still-births, indicates that
Shoreditch is not so good as it might be, and is probably linked with the fact
that a very high percentage of young mothers in this Borough are doing full-time
work apart from their household duties. In fact, this is so universally the
case, that it is generally impossible for the public health inspectors to gain
access to premises unless there is either a case of acute infectious disease in
the house or an appointment has previously been made! Also possibly linked with
this same point is the fact that the total number of live births has fallen
below 600 (the lowest ever known in Shoreditch) as against figures over 1000 at
the time I first took this post in 1947 (population only 1,000 more then) - and
this despite the possible lure of children's allowances! The number of infantile
deaths was greater than in any year since 1952, half of them being before the
child was one day old. Also, because the number of births was smaller, the
stillbirth rate was the highest it has been since 1947. However, despite these
setbacks, we have resumed our recent trend of having no maternal deaths.
With regard to deaths in the general population, apart from cancer of the
lung which was fractionally the largest ever, there was no noticeable variation
from the average of recent years, although the reduced birth rate now brings
the number dying, perilously near to the number being born, the balance being
now only 0.7 per 1000. Except during the early years of the last war the
figures have never been so unfavourable to the continuance of the human race!
(Even the illegitimate births have only once been smallerl)
The notifications of infectious diseases were rather higher, but this was
due almost entirely to measles, the bugbear of dysentery having dropped to half,
and others being of minimal extent, with no cases of diphtheria, only 3 polios
and 39 T.B's (with a continuation of last year's record low of 4 deaths only).
The Council's Social Welfare Services (see p. 19 ) have gone further
ahead, with a record number of 954 visitors spending at least 2 weeks each at
the Shoreditch Holiday & Rest Home. The numbers attending the 3 full-time
and 4 part-time Old People's Clubs (run by this department) have been maintained,
with Meals on Wheels to Clubs, and (per W.V.S. and Salvation Army) to homebound.
Our 3 lady visitors (one full-time whose salary is partly paid by the City of
London & East London Dispensary Trustees) have again paid more than 4,000 visits
to pensioners, doing most noble work in the process. Our free secondhand
furniture has again had a good turnover, the S.O.S. cards have continued to be
handed out to the lonely, the free shoe repairs by the Lion Boys' Club are
still popular, the loan of library books to the homebound and the gift of
novels to the slow readers (and magnifying glasses where needed) has continued,