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PREFACE
To: The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich.
MR. MAYOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I have pleasure in presenting my Report for the year
1960 on the Public Health of the Borough of Woolwich.
At the outset I am pleased to state that the general
health of the Borough is very satisfactory.
The Registrar General's estimate of the home population
for 1960 was 145,470 being an increase of 670 on the previous
year.
The birth rate of 14.9 was the highest for the Borough
since 1951* and the death rate of 9-8 the lowest for the
Borough since 1954, and the second lowest figure on record.
Deaths from cancer, totalling 292, were again high.
There were 37 infant deaths, compared with 41 in the previous
year, 25 of them occurring in children under one week old.
The year was a very satisfactory one so far as infectious
disease in the Borough was concerned. The general incidence
was the lowest for any year on record, and no special
difficulties were experienced. However, effective control
over such diseases as diphtheria and poliomyelitis requires
continued effort to ensure that the vaccination rate is kept
at a satisfactory level. Recent sporadic outbreaks of
diphtheria in London and elsewhere in the country have shown
that vigilance in this respect cannot be relaxed.
The great strides made by the Council in housing and
slum clearance since the War were materially advanced
during the year. Confirmation was received from the
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