View report page

PREFACE
To the Mayor, Aidermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich
MR. MAYOr, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I have pleasure in presenting the Fifty-Eighth Annual Report on
the Health of the Borough of Woolwich, the Report being on the lines
requested by the Minister of Health.
The home population for mid-1958 was 144, 600, compared with
146, 200 in 1957, and 151,100 in 1952, when the highest population
figure was recorded since the year 1939.
The general health of the Borough remains good. There was
only one maternal death during the year, and no deaths from
poliomyelitis or diphtheria. Total infant deaths were 13 less than
in the previous year, more than half of the deaths occurring being
due to prematurity or atelectasis.
Total cancer deaths were 509, of which 82 were from cancer of
the lung or bronchus, mainly in men in the prime of life. The
warnings of the grave danger of this disease resulting from excessive
cigarette smoking are not being sufficiently heeded. Other diseases
of the chest, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, are also prevalent, as are diseases of the circulatory system, Including blood pressure,
arteriosclerosis and other forms of heart disease which accounted
for almost half of the total deaths in the Borough in 1958. Motor
vehicle accidents resfaltsd in the deaths of 15 Woolwich persons, six
being motor cyclists or passengers between the ages of 17 and 25.
The variety of the work of the Public Health Inspectors during
the year can be seen by reference to Table No. 8 on page 15. For
instance, more than 3,000 visits were made to the homes of the
elderly by the Council's woman 'Inspector, nearly 1,000 visits were
made for the Issue of Certificates of Disrepair under the Rent Act,
1957, over 1,200 new houses and flats were inspected with regard to
water supply, 1,600 inspections of food premises were carried out,
800 visits to houses for the purpose of the Clean Air Act were made,
over 1,100 visits were made regarding drainage defects; 2,400 visits
were for rats or mice, and ever 7,000 visits were made by the Public
Health Inspectors following routine complaints received.
Woolwich is not faced with such grave problems of slum clearance
as are many of the other Metropolitan Boroughs, nor has the Borough
much of an overcrowding problem compared with these other Boroughs.
However, there are still a number of slum houses which have been
- 2 -