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5
TO THE MAYOR ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF
THE BOROUGH OF WALTHAMSTOW
MR. MAYOR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I have the honour to present my Annual Report for the year
1961.
vital statistics
The mid year population according to the Registrar General s
report was about 2,800 less than the previous year This contrasts
with a reduction of 1,400 between the years 1959/60.
In spite of this the number of births increased from 1,428 to
1,529 but in contrast the total deaths from all causes also rose
from 1,137 to 1,323, the birth rate was considerably less than the
national average and the death rate slightly more The infant
Mortality Rate of 15.7 per thousand live births is much reduced
from last year s figure and considerably less than the national
figure. We must not read too much into this since the numbers are
so small that one or two deaths more or less would alter the rate
considerably. It may be remembered that the figure in 1958 was
15.4. There were no maternal deaths during the year,
Of the total deaths the conditions that claimed most lives
were again diseases of the heart and blood vessels and cancer Of
the 285 cancer deaths 81 (28.4%) were due to lung cancer. Nearly
45% of the deaths were in the age group 75 and over
infectious diseases
The overall incidence of infectious diseases again followed
the lower trends of recent years. Measles was prevelant during
the first quarter of the year also, for some inexplicable reason,
dysentery. Of the more dangerous diseases such as diphtheria and
poliomyelitis no cases were recorded.
In spite of this favourable picture, last year s outbreak
of diphtheria is a reminder that we can never afford to relax our
vigilance and should always be ready for the unexpected.
Water- water
A safe and pure water supply has always ,been one of our prime
public health functions, and the receipt of Dr. Windle Taylor' s
report as Chief Medical Officer to the Metropolitan Water Board on
the "Results of the Bacteriological, Chemical, and Biological
Examination of the London Water for 1959/60 is therefore a
salutary reminder of this, and at the same time of much that we
take for granted a commodity which is essential for life itself.