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THE COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF SOUTHALL, 1954
HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR
*Councillor J. Salmon, J.P.
Deputy Mayor:
Councillor P. J. Love.
Aldermen:
*Dane, A. T. *Gardner, F. E. †*Lowe, J. (Chairman)
Douglas, H. C. Hopkins, W. H. Marks, F. J., J.P.
Councillors:
*Barrett, J. Day, F. R. †*Sheil, E. J.
†*Bid well, S. J. Haigh, J. Shepherd, A. H.
*Cavell, Mrs. I., J.P. Hook, R. E. Southey, P. G.
*Dormer, J. G. P., Love, P. J. Steele, T. J.
*Errington, F. G. Lye, A. E. *Ward, J. H.
Godman, A. S. *Salmon, J., J.P. *Williams, Mrs. V. G. I.
*Members of the Public Health Committee.
† Members of the Area Health Committee (Area No. 9).
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Southall.
MR. MAYOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I have the honour to present the 58th Annual Report on the health and circumstances
of the population of the Borough of Southall. The health of the people continued to be
good.
All the vital statistics were satisfactory. A fall in the death rate, a fall in the infant
mortality rate, a fall in the infectious disease incidence rate combined with a fall in the
number of notifications of tuberculosis suggest a general raising of the resistance to disease
and, therefore, an increase in the positive health of the people. The amount of sickness
incidence in industry also showed an appreciable reduction over the previous year, although
accurate statistics for the Borough as a unit are not obtainable for this since there are many
working within the Borough who do not live here, while many of the inhabitants of Southall
travel into other districts to work.
A slight fall in the birth rate is noted, but is not of importance in a community where
there still is difficulty in finding housing accommodation for overcrowded families and
where school children are still occupying overcrowded class rooms.
Epidemic disease was not a problem in 1954. There was no diphtheria, little influenza
and only four cases of poliomyelitis; unfortunately one of the latter proved fatal, but in the
other three cases there was full recovery. The occurrence of Sonne dysentery in a Southall
school meant vigorous action had to be taken in order to confine the outbreak to as few cases
as possible. While the number of patients actually having symptoms was very small, work
in tracing contacts who were carrying infectious organisms produced a considerable number
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