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METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF STEPNEY
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
43, White Horse Road,
Commercial Road, E.l.
To The Mayor, Aldenrmon and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.
Your Worship, Ladies & Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my report for the year 1948. The
report is again abridged in accordance with the direction of the
Ministry of Health.
The last estimate of the population of the Borough is 100,020.
The total live births In 1948 show a slight decrease, 2129 compared
with 2184 last year, giving a live birth rate of 21.2 for 1948 tornpared
with 21.8 for. 1947.
The infant mortality rate continues to drop - 51.2 in 1946,
37.5 in 1947 and 27.7 this year. The latter figure is the lowest
recorded infant mortality rate in the history of the Borough and
compares most favourably with rates in boroughs of better environment
(see graph on page (x)).
Perhaps it would not be unjustifiable to take this low rate as
being in part at least due to the Borough Council's successful administration
of the Maternity and Child Welfare services - a matter which
I think it is only fair to comment upon in this year's report when
these services are being handed over to the County Health Authority
under the National Health Service Act of 1946.
Whatever the justification may be for taking the Maternity and
Child Welfare Services away from the local administration of the
Metropolitan Borough Councils in London, it cannot be said that it was
because of any failure of the local system.
The infant mortality of 27.7 is undoubtedly low but the Borough
Council had hoped to reduce still further these rates by opening a
residential nursery for the care of premature infants at the new
Mary Hughes Centre in Underwood Road, However the introduction of
the new Act and the consequent transfers of functions intervened.
No doubt, in due course suitable provision will be made in some part
of the plan of the Regional Hospital Board. A small local unit for
premature infants in Stepney in very close contact with the mothers
of the infants concerned which was envisaged in the Underwood Road
scheme would' perhaps be preferable.
It is good to be able to record that the maternal mortality rate
per 1000 live and still births has again reached zero as in 1944,
The figures for the last few years were 1.8, 0.8 and now 0.0. One
hopes that this can be attributed in a considerable degree to the
mothers themselves - that they are better fed and educated and more
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