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To His Worship the Mayor, the Aldermen, and Councillors
of the County Borough of East Ham.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit the Annual Report of the work carried out
by the Public Health and School Medical Department for the year
1920.
I am pleased to note that although there is still much overcrowding
in the Borough, which accounts for the large number oj
infectious diseases through insufficient isolation, the health of the
district is good.
The following is an extract from the Registrar General's
Report for 1919 :—
"As might be expected the highest places in both tables
(xxxiii. and xxxiv.) are occupied for the most part by residential
towns, but the position of East Ham, eighth for the
mortality of the first twelve months and fifth for that of the
first four weeks out of the whole 82 County Boroughs, shows
what results may be obtained in a working class community.
The conditions here, of course, differ materially from those of
the more common case where the areas of industry and, of
residence coincide; and the habitually low rates returned by
this and neighbouring residential working class suburbs of
London are of good omen for the success which may be
achieved elsewhere by improvements in town planning and
transport.
" The position of East Ham in 1918 was also similar."
East Ham might well, with such conditions of low death and
Infantile Mortality rates, be classified as a " Health Resort."
The ever-increasing duties caused by legislation during the past
years have greatly increased the duties of the present Staff, and
although it has been a big task they have been successfully carried
out.
During the war the report was diminished at the request of
the Local Government Board, but the Ministry of Health now
require more detail to be inserted.