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rate 74 as compared with birth rate 13.57, death rate 7.25 and infant mortality rate 18.23
in 1956.
1893 was, however, an especially good year for infant mortality since the following
year this figure rose again to 146. There were 18 cases of diphtheria, of whom 6 died,
6 cases of typhoid fever of whom none died, and one case of smallpox. These three diseases
are no longer a problem, but the Medical Officer of Health then was concerned amongst
other things about epidemic influenza, and the overcrowding of dwelling houses, two
problems which still require attention to-day.
In the year 1956 the health of the population continued to be good.
There was a slight rise in the birth rate, a considerable fall in the infectious disease
notification rate, and only two notified cases of poliomyelitis, both of whom should make a
complete recovery. The crude death rate rose, but the rate, when calculated without the
deaths occurring in the long-stay institutions, whose population comes from a very wide
area of the Home Counties, showed the rise to be a small one. There was an increase in the
number of tuberculosis notifications and a slight rise in the infant mortality rate.
The principal causes of death, as in 1955, were again heart disease, diseases of the circulatory
system and cancer, and this latter cause of death showed a substantial increase over
the figure for the previous year.
Dysentery and food poisoning were not considerable in 1956, although there was a
small outbreak of dysentery in St. Bernard's Hospital. Dysentery is a disease which spreads
very easily in hospitals for cases of mental illness, but by means of quick and energetic
control methods undertaken by the hospital staff the outbreak was kept within quite small
limits and did not spread outside the hospital.
Because of the heavy incidence of poliomyelitis throughout the country during 1955,
arrangements were made by Middlesex County Council to start vaccination against this
disease, and the first vaccinations were carried out in June of 1956. The amount of vaccine
available allowed only for a few vaccinations to be completed during the year. There was a
slight fall in the figure for vaccination against smallpox, and a slight rise in the figure for
immunisation against diphtheria.
Two visits were paid to the Borough by the Mass X-ray Unit in 1956, one to St.
Bernard's Hospital and an extended visit in the autumn to X-ray the general public.
During the year a total of 14,119 persons, either living in, or working in Southall, had chest
X-ray examinations carried out in these surveys, and out of all these only 14 active
pulmonary tuberculosis cases were discovered, or 0 99 per 1,000 of persons X-rayed.
The work on slum clearance and rehousing of families in condemned property continued
and kept pace with the programme submitted to the Minister of Housing and Local
Government in the previous year.
Atmospheric pollution from domestic and industrial chimneys showed a considerable
improvement generally over the year.
The new legislation on Food and Drugs and the Clean Air Act meant that a considerable
proportion of time had to be directed towards these matters in 1956.
During 1956 the Sanitary Inspectors were re-designated as Public Health Inspectors,
a step which was a progressive one in that it seemed to make official the fact that the Inspector
is no longer concerned only with the physical aspects of sanitation, but that he is a member of
the public health team working for the welfare and well-being of the public and trained and
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