London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kingston upon Thames 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
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(ii)
The following table shows the relevant figures for the
past five years in respect of Kingston residents.
the Registrar General couples cancer of the lung with cancer of the bronchus in his abbreviated list of causes of death.
| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | ||||||
| Deaths from cancer of the lung and bronchus | 28 | 22 | 16 | 25 | 26 | |||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| 24 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 23 | 2 | 23 | 3 | |
Infectious Disease - The number of infectious disease
notifications received in 1959 was 433 which is 36 less than
in 1958 and is accounted for by a reduction in the number of
eases of whooping cough.
Further progress was made in the active protection of the
child population against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus,
smallpox, tuberculosis and poliomyelitis.
In general the health of the people was very good, and a
high standard of hygiene was maintained.
Housing and Rehousing.
During 1959 the Corporation provided 22 flats comprising
6-1 bedroom units, 12-2 bedroom units and 4-1 bedroom
old people's dwellings. In addition 4 houses and 77 flats
were built by private enterprise, giving a total of 103 new
housing units in Kingston. During the year the Corporation
rehoused several families in the Frimley/Camberley area as well
as other New Towns.
The rate of building has been so slow, that slum clearance
needs are the only matters which can be dealt with. Even
so rehousing displaced families is dependent upon the availability
of suitable alternative accommodation. As a result of
the failure to provide new houses for these families, continued
hardship is maintained among many with high priority on the
waiting list. This constitutes a definite menace to health and
is contributing to domestic breakdowns. Overcrowding is also
a problem and numbers of applications are constantly received
from families living in crowded, unsuitable conditions.
It is essential for the Corporation to renew their efforts
to provide a sufficiency of houses for the purpose of rehousing
families who come within the category of such urgent and
priority eases as well as for aged couples or persons living
alone. Although several old people were rehoused by the Corporation
in 1959, encouragement should be given to the transfer
of aged persons occupying larger houses to move to more modest
accommodation suited to their needs and in doing so to consider
the amenities and social services necessary to counterbalance
loss of security and possible disturbance of emotions in making
a move from houses to which they are deeply attached.