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In the following paragraphs the statistics for this year and last
year are compared, the latter being shown in brackets.
According to the Registrar-General's estimate the population has
decreased to 93,850 (94,900).
There were 1,714 (1,811) live births and 1,037 (1,246) deaths.
The live birth rate is 18.26 (19.08), the death rate 11.05 (13.12) - the
lowest ever, and the infant mortality rate 18.66 (24.84).
There were 2 (nil) maternal deaths during the year. 19 (32) babies
died under the age of four weeks giving a neo-natal mortality rate of
11.08 (17.67).
No serious epidemic of infectious disease occurred during the year.
The number of cases of Measles (55) was the lowest ever recorded. The
total notifications of infectious diseases was 835 (1,998), the lowest
on record.
The percentage of illegitimate live births of total live births is
12.95 compared with 11.26 last year, and is indeed the highest that
it has ever been, but this trend is by no means confined to Stepney and
appears to be an indication of the times. The death rate of illegitimate
infants, however, has decreased since 1936 from 136.7 to 13.51.
'Deaths from cancer of the lung which have been steadily increasing
each year, have this year fallen from 77 to 53. It is to be hoped that
this downward trend will continue but I am rather doubtful that it will.
* * *
Today the care of the aged is coming more and more to the forefront.
At the beginning of this century the ratio of old people to the rest of
the population was 1 in 36; now it is 1 in 7 and in twenty years' time
we may expect it to be 1 in 5. Their illnesses, chronic heart disease,
bronchitis, arthritis, diabetes and cancer, necessitate prolonged
occupation of hospital beds and the problem of their accommodation and
care is far from being solved.
In the text of this Report (on page 15) will be found an account
of the facilities for old people which are grant aided by the Borough
Council. The six chiropody clinics for old persons provided by the
Stepney Old People's Welfare Association continue to have full attendances,
and, indeed, it is difficult to cater for all who require their
services. One would have hoped that in the future the need for
chiropody services would decrease, but because of footwear with sharp
pointed toes and stiletto heels foisted upon women in recent years by
shoe manufacturers, it appears unlikely that this will be so. Stiletto
heels do damage not only to the feet of the wearer but it is calculated
that they exert a pressure of 3 tons to the square inch and are reported
to have smashed the bones of the feet of persons accidentally trodden on,
and to have caused hundreds of pounds' worth of damage to valuable flooring
and floor coverings. The majority of chiropody patients at present
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