View report page

3
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 44th Annual Report on the health of the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich. It is again in an abridged form, in accordance
with the instructions of the Ministry of Health and in common with those published
during the war. It has, however, been possible to include certain figures for 1944
which were omitted for recent years, as restrictions previously imposed for security
reasons have now been lifted.
A summary of vital statistics will be found in table No. 1.
The Registrar General's estimate shows a slight reduction in the population.
The birth rate was a little lower, and the death rate a little higher, than in 1943.
The infant mortality rate rose from 35 in 1943 to 40 in 1944, but this increase is
mainly attributable to deaths from enemy action. The maternal death rate fell
from 1.79 in 1943 to 1.43 in 1944.
The health of the Borough remained good. There was a reduction in the number
of notifications of infectious diseases and, as is shown in table No. 2, there was only
one death from Diphtheria and one from Whooping Cough, and there were no
deaths from Typhoid Fever, Scarlet Fever or Measles. There were also fewer notifications
of, and deaths from, Tuberculosis. There was a satisfactory reduction in the
incidence of Scabies.
No noteworthy outbreaks of illness occurred and the number of deaths, apart
from those due to enemy action, was no more than the average for the Borough.
Although many members of the staff of the Department were serving in H.M.
Forces, or seconded to other duties, and a proportion of the time of those remaining
continued to be devoted to Civil Defence, the Council's Health services were effectively
maintained under the supervision of the Deputy Medical Officer of Health,
Dr. T. Standring.
The work of the Sanitary Section of the Department was complicated by the
enemy " flying-bomb" and " ocket" air attacks occurring during the second
half of the year : all food in damaged shops was examined by the Food Inspectors ;
and the difficulties of the District Inspectors were increased by the necessary concentration
of building labour on repairs to war-damaged property. A drive for
the extermination of rats was again undertaken with vigour, and achieved satisfactory
results