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Public Health Department,
92, Bath Road,
HOUNSLOW.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Heston
and Isleworth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit my Annual Report for the year 1943. A
separate report has already been submitted on the School Medical
Service. As in recent years the Report consists largely of a
tabulated summary.
The upward trend of the birth rate which appeared last year
has been maintained and the present rate is the highest recorded
since 1933. The number of illegitimate births has increased and
in 1943 reached a total of 90 as compared with 59 in 1942.
Fortunately in the majority of cases the mother and her child
remain with her family or find accommodation with relatives or
friends. In other cases the child can be adopted or placed
with a suitable foster mother. There remain, however, a few
cases where satisfactory arrangements cannot be made before the
mother and her baby are due to leave hospital and at present
there is need for additional residential accommodation for such
cases. Special difficulties arise where the mother is a married
woman. The Health Visitors give special attention to this
matter and endeavour, before the birth of the child, if possible,
to assist the mother in regard to arrangements for the confinement
arid for the care of the child, etc.
The death rate remains almost stationary, but is slightly
higher than that of the previous two years. This rate is based
on the civilian population which, at the present time, contains
relatively higher proportions of the young and old, among whom
the natural risks of death are high. In 1943 the percentage of
the total deaths occurring in persons aged 65 years and over was
50,2 as compared with 52.0 in 1942. The chief causes of deathwere
heart disease (241), cancer (164), cerebral haemorrhage (101),
pneumonia (68) and bronchitis (67).
The steady increase in the infant mortality rate which was
recorded during the previous four years has been interrupted.
The rate for 1943 is 46.8 as compared with 72.1 in 1942. The
percentage of the total infant deaths occurring in children under
4 weeks of age was 49 as compared with 58 in 1942.

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