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5
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
To His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of
Harrow.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1 beg to submit the Annual Report on the Health and Sanitary
Circumstances of the District for the year 1956.
The report for 1954 was a comprehensive one which set out in detail
particulars of the various services. Some of these have not been repeated
in this report.
1956 was a year for which the vital statistics of the country as a
whole were satisfactory. Most of those for this district once more were
that much better than the national rates. It will be seen that the Registrar
General estimates that there has been a further fall in the population.
The number of births was slightly higher and the number of deaths
slightly below those of the preceding year. After the years of the rapid
development of the district when the importation of a young population
caused the birth rate to be well above that of the country as a whole,
the figure declined and this year's figure of 12.9 is below that of the
national rate of 15.7. On the other hand the local death rate of 8.8 is
also well below the national rate of 11.7. The infections caused very
few deaths, tuberculosis being responsible for 16 only, and there were
none from diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles or whooping cough. The
incidence of the more serious of the infections was not high. There was
a gratifying fall in the number of new cases of tuberculosis, while in this
district as in most of the country there was not much poliomyelitis.
Although the report refers to the various services which affect the
health of the inhabitants of the district, most attention has of course
been given to those services provided by the local authority, and more
especially to those provided by the staff of the Public Health Department.
A summary of the work of the Public Health Inspectors appears on
pages 34 to .37a study of these shows the very wide range of activity
of these Inspectors, and the many ways in which they might either directly
or indirectly help those living here. The Abstract of Accounts of the
Borough Treasurer for 1955/1956 shows that these services are provided
at a surprisingly small cost, more especially when compared with the
cost of some other services essential to health. While they cost only
£14,120, much the same as the public conveniences, the collection of
house refuse costs the Council £120,000 and its disposal £15,000.
The report covers much the same ground as its predecessors, the
only points calling for special comment this year being the effects of
synthetic detergents on sewage, atmospheric pollution including a note
on hazards of radiation, a summary of the food hygiene regulations and
some reference to the growing importance attached to health education.
The earlier of the personal services, the product of this century,
were made the responsibility of the larger of the county districts (in some