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METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF STEPNEY
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
43, White Horse Road,
Commercial Road,
E.l.
To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.
Your Worship, Ladies & Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my report for the
year 1947. The report is again abridged in accordance
with the directions of the Ministry of Health.
The population of the Borough according to the
Registrar-Goneral's estimate shows a considerable
increase having risen from 94,800 in the mid-year 1946
to 100,020 in 1947, I anticipate that the rise will
continue steadily for some years. The population in
the last pre-war year (1938) was 200,500.
Births numbered 2246 - again an increase on the
previous year which was 2206. Owing to the greater
population this increase is not reflected in the birth
rate which is 21*8 compared with 22.6 last year. The
death rate has fallen from 14.7 to 14.1.
The maternal death rate has dropped from 1.8 to
0.8 per 1000 live and still births.
It is pleasant to record a considerable drop in
the death rate of infants under one year of age, which
has fallen from 51.2 in 1946 to 37.5 in the year under
review and is the lowest ever recorded in the Borough.
Deaths from infectious diseases were again low.
There were no deaths from diphtheria of which there
were 53 notified cases. There were 545 cases of
measles notified and 3 deaths. There was an outbreak
of whooping-cough with 374 cases compared with 87 last
year. Four deaths occurred from the disease.
Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis) which was
prevalent throughout the Country was fortunately not
severe in Stepney. There were 32 notified cases of
which 20 were confirmed, no deaths: q.nd no case of
permanent paralysis.
A case of smallpox oocurred in the Borough in a
Sailors Home which might have had very serious consequences.
However, prompt measures confined the outbreak
to two cases. A full account will be found in
the body of the report (p.54).
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