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TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF
THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit herewith a report on the health of the Borough
for the year 1950.
The directive of the Ministry of Health requires me to deal
with all matters within my responsibility in regard to the health of
the public in the Borough. The report therefore includes references
to the personal health services transferred to the Essex County
Council. Such references are made in my capacity as Area Medical
Officer and by courtesy of the County Medical Officer of Health.
The mid-year population of the Borough was 122,700, and
once again vital statistics were good and compared favourably with
the National rates.
Although the birth rate was below the National rate, so also
was the death rate. The infant mortality rate was 26 against a
National rate of 30, stillbirths were 0.30 per thousand population
against 0.37 for the whole country. There was no maternal death.
Deaths from tuberculosis were only 0.26 per thousand population
against 0.36 for the whole country.
The major problems of rehousing, tuberculosis, and the care of
the aged and the chronic sick continue to claim an increasing amount
of attention. All three problems are, of course, closely related.
Experience in regard to Section 47 of the National Assistance Act,
1948, is described, and a claim is made for the restoration of the
powers previously exercised by the Public Assistance Officer in
regard to "Order" for immediate admission to hospital.
The Chief Sanitary Inspector, in his report, refers to the
campaign for clean food.
With regard to infectious diseases, once again poliomyelitis
made an unwelcome appearance. In spite of one of the worst
outbreaks of whooping cough ever recorded there was no death
from whooping cough, largely due, it is thought, to the schemes
of immunisation inaugurated by your Council.