View report page

METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF STEPNEY"
Telephone:
STEpney Green
2484
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
43, White Horse Road,
Stepney,
LONDON, E.l.
To: The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.
Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my report on the state of the public
health in Stepney for the year 1957.
The population of the Borough according to the Registrar-General's
estimate is 97,810, a decrease of 350 since last year. The population
in the Census year, 1951, was 98,581.
The live birth-rate is 18.94 (19.44)+, the death rate 12.41 (12.08),
the marriage rate 18.5 (19.9), the maternal mortality rate 0.53 (Nil),
the infant mortality rate 24.28 (22.52), the neo-natal mortality
rate 15.65 (17.81). There were 35 stillbirths, giving a rate of
18.53 (21.53), the lowest rate yet recorded.
Notifications of infectious diseases increased from 1,324 to 1,917
chiefly due to the increase in measles which tends to recur in biennial
periods. The incidence of influenza was high owing to a widespread
epidemic which occurred in the Autumn. The epidemic, often referred to
in the press as "Asian flu" had spread to Europe from China in the course
of six months. The disease was mild in character and caused comparatively
few deaths. Influenza is only notifiable in the form of "influenzal
pneumonia", of which 52 cases were notified, all in the last quarter
of the year. There were 12 deaths from influenza or influenzal pneumonia.
Concurrent with the epidemic of influenza there was an increase in
deaths from respiratory causes, which throughout London in the December
quarter were 2,000 more than usual. The number of respiratory deaths in
*Rates
Death Rate - Number of deaths per annum per 1,000 population.
Stillbirth Rate - Number of stillbirths per annum per 1,000 total live
and stillbirths.
Live birth Rate - Number of live births per annum per 1,000 population.
Infant Mortality Rate - Number of deaths per annum of infants under one
year of age per 1,000 live births.
Maternal Mortality Rate - Number of deaths per annum of women ascribed to
pregnancy, childbearing, abortion, etc. per 1,000 live and still births.
+ The figures in parentheses refer to the previous year, 1956.
4