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TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF
THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Lady McEntee, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present in the following pages a report on the Health
Services in the Borough during 1952. 1 am required by the Minister
of Health to deal generally with matters regarding public health
and preventive medicine. The report therefore includes reference
to the personal health services, which, in July, 1948, were transferred
to the County Council as the Local Health Authority. These
matters are referred to in my capacity as Acting Area Medical
Officer and by courtesy of the County Medical Officer.
The population remained fairly static at 120,400, a decrease of
500 on the previous year, and on this basis vital statistics were
again good, and once more compared very favourably with the
rates for England and Wales, London and Greater London.
The crude birth and death rates were 12.6 and 10.8 respectively.
The infant mortality rate was 24.5 as compared with 27.6
for England and Wales and 23.8 for the London Administrative
County. Of 66 illegitimate live births none died under one year
of age. The still-birth rate fell and the neo-natal death rate rose
slightly, the number of deaths being the same. The tuberculosis
death rate was only 0.18 per thousand population, as compared
with 0.24 for England and Wales, and 0.31 for London Administrative
County. The rate for Walthamstow for 1951 was 0.31.
The total of notifications of infectious disease was less than
in 1951, especially in regard to whooping cough, measles, meningitis
and dysentery, but there were more notifications of scarlet fever,
pneumonia, puerperal pyrexia (due largely to the new regulations),
and food poisoning. Again there was no confirmed case of
diphtheria.
Although the notifications of tuberculosis remained fairly
static, the continued fall in deaths from this disease is striking, and
stresses the need to render as many as possible non-infectious,
otherwise the infecting pool of cases will increase. Approximately
half of new cases investigated were infectious on notification
or soon after.
Reference is made in the report to the disquiet at the revocation
of the old tuberculosis regulations. Preventive measures
against tuberculosis are fully referred to in the text.
An increasing amount of time became necessary in dealing
with the aged and chronic sick, especially in investigating cases for
possible compulsory removal to hospital and in assisting the