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To the Chairman and Members of the
Chigwell Urban District Council
the chairman AND members
In accordance with the requirements of the Public Health Officers'
Regulations 1959, I have pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the
Medical Officer of Health for the year 1971, which includes the Annual Report
of the Chief Public Health Inspector.
Much attention continues to be directed to the problems of pollution
and overpopulation. These two problems are closely related in that pollution
is largely the result of efforts to supply the material needs of more and more
people - which means more industrial activity and production of waste, especially
if progressively higher material standards of living are being demanded at the
same time.
On pollution, the Chier Public Health Inspector has very aptly
commented in another part of this report. On overpopulation, the message of
the statisticians is inescapable - that the present average family size of 2.5
children per family is resulting in an increase of 300,000 inhabitants of the
United Kingdom every year. Houses, hospitals, schools, universities and
transport must thus be provided for an extra 300,000 every year before any
progress can be made in improving or replacing what we already have, or in
reducing the pollution problems of the present time.
According to authoritative medical opinion, at least two-thirds of
the excess of births over deaths are the result of pregnancies which are unwanted
at the moment of conception; that is the moment for appropriate action.
Although it is perfectly true that a certain proportion of the resulting
offspring are accepted by their parents with the passage of time, or are
successfully reared by others, this is not in my opinion a good enough reason
for denying full knowledge and availability of contraception to everyone.
There is growing public pressure to include these services in the new
re-organisation of the National Health Service now being planned, and this
campaign deserves our full support. I am completely convinced that Birth
Control is a more satisfactory alternative for the future than overpopulation,
unwanted children, or freely available abortions.
VITAL STATISTICS
The Birth and Death Rates of the District are both slightly below
comparable figures for England and Wales as a whole. Less still-births are,
however, as might be expected, offset by deaths of more infants under four
weeks of age, those non-viables having been kept alive for a short period
by special techniques and care who would otherwise have been registered as
still-born.
It is encouraging to note a small reduction in the number of
deaths from cancer of the lung and of the breast. Heart diseases continue
to take their full and increasing toll of life, for which eating and smoking
too much at all ages, and insufficient exercise, are undoubtedly contributing
causes.
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