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6
PREFACE.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the Thirty-Third Annual Report on the Health
of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich.
In accordance with the instructions of the Council the report follows the outline
indicated by the Minister of Health in order to ensure uniformity in the presentation
of Annual Reports of Medical Officers of Health throughout the country, but to
facilitate the preparation of the report, those Sections which contain rates based
on the population have been placed at the end of the Report instead of at the
beginning as in previous years.
The vital statistics for the year are as follows. The birth rate was 12.7; the
death rate 11.2; the infantile mortality rate 62, and the neo-natal mortality rate
(deaths under four weeks per 1,000 births) was 33.92. In 1932 the corresponding
figures were 14.0, 11.1, 60 and 24.82 respectively. Maternal deaths numbered
six—the same as in 1932—the rate for the year being 3.29 per 1,000 births.
The population of the Borough is estimated by the Registrar General to be
146,200 at the middle of the year, a decrease of 700 on 1932. This is the total
population and includes non-civilians. It is on this figure that the rates of the
Borough are calculated, and so, when any comparison of figures in this report is
made with those during the period 1915 to 1931 (when civilians only were included)
allowance must be made for this alteration.
Compared with 1932 the incidence of infectious disease shows an increase.
There were more cases of Diphtheria (370 against 233) and of Scarlet Fever (1,004
against 554). The number of cases of Pneumonia notified was 249 and the number
of notifications of Puerperal Fever and Puerperal Pyrexia received was 40. There
were two cases of Smallpox. Measles, which is not a notifiable disease, was not
present in epidemic form.
The number of primary cases of Tuberculosis coming to the knowledge of the
Department during the year was 252 (294 in 1932). At the end of the year there
were 827 cases of pulmonary and 208 cases of non-pulmonary Tuberculosis, making
a total of 1,035 (1,030 cases in 1932) known to be living in the Borough. The
deaths from Tuberculosis numbered 135 (154 in 1932).