View report page

7
Public Health Department,
Town Hall.
May, 1936.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you my Annual Report relating
to the health of the County Borough of East Ham for the year
1935, together with the Annual Report to the Education Authority
on the School Medical Service.
In accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health,
the contents comprise an "ordinary report" limited to a record
of alterations, improvements and developments during the past
year.
It will be seen that the health of the Borough has been well
maintained, and that all statistics relating to public health shew
some improvement, except the maternal mortality rate. I regret
to report an increase over the exceptionally low figure for 1934.
It could hardly be anticipated, however, that this would be continued
year by year; the association of general illness with
maternity causes considerable variation in the mortality rate. A
permanent reduction in maternal deaths is dependent upon many
other factors, of which by no means the least important is a well
organized and equipped maternity service. It should be stressed
that undue anxiety is often caused by frequent reference and
publicity of maternal mortality statistics.
The incidence of notifiable infectious diseases has shewn
marked diminution. There have been fewer cases of diphtheria,
and in most instances of a less virulent type. The admission to
hospital during the year of severe cases of non-notifiable infectious
diseases (measles, whooping cough, etc.) has undoubtedly been
the means of saving the lives of many whose home conditions
did not permit of adequate nursing and attention.
The opening of the new Tuberculosis and Chest Clinic has
afforded opportunities for a more complete investigation of