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TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF
THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present in the following pages a report on the health
of your Borough during 1949.
The appropriate directive issued by the Ministry of Health
requires me to deal specifically with certain matters and also
generally with matters within my responsibility regarding public
health and preventive medicine. I have therefore included
references to those health services which were transferred to the
responsibility of the County Council as a result of the operation
of the National Health Service Act, 1946. Such references are
made in my capacity as Acting Area Medical Officer and by
courtesy of the County Medical Officer.
The population at mid-year 1949 was 123,400, an increase
of 700 on the corresponding population of 1948.
Vital statistics were again good and although the new low
record infant mortality rate of 1948 could not be maintained, the
Walthamstow rate for 1949 was still below that for England and
Wales. The stillbirth rate, which may be regarded as an index
of good maternity services, constituted a new low record at 0.22
per thousand population as compared with 0.39 for England and
Wales.
In regard to Hospital Services, reference is made to the
admittedly unsatisfactory provision for the chronic sick.
The year 1949 saw good progress in regard to housing, with
the virtual completion of the notable scheme of 414 flats at Priory
Court.
The Chief Sanitary Inspector, in his section of the report,
refers to the steps taken in regard to clean food. Your Council
was again to the forefront in providing free washing facilities to
food handlers, and indeed to the public generally.
In the field of infectious diseases, 1949 was again an unfortunate
year in regard to poliomyelitis, with three fatal cases. Measles
was also epidemic but fortunately with no fatality.
With regard to those services coming within Part III of the
National Health Service Act, 1946, progress has been made in
the reservation of sites for health centres. Mr. L. W. Elmer, Senior
Dental Surgeon, reports on the Dental Services, both priority and
general.