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Wanstead and Woodford Borough Council
TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMAN AND COUNCILLORS,
BOROUGH OF WANSTEAD AND WOODFORD.
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report on the Health
Services in the Borough for the year 1961. This is the seventeenth
report which I have compiled. As in former years details of the
personal health services under the National Health Service Act,
1946 Part III, which are administered by the Essex County Council
through the Forest Health Area Sub-Committee of the County
Health Committee, are included. A short account of the School
Health Service is also included.
Vital Statistics
Birth Rate. The total number of births was 801 being 6 less than
in the previous year. Birth Rate per 1,000 of the population was
almost identical with that of 1960, the figures being 13.07 and 13.1;
the rate for the country as a whole was 17.4.
Death Rate. The total number of deaths was 723, a decrease of 25
over those for 1960 which was the highest ever recorded. Death
rate per 1,000 population was 11.8 compared with a figure of
12.0 for the whole country.
Infant Mortality Rate, i.e. the deaths of infants under one year
per 1,000 live births was 17.5. This compares with last year's
figure of 19.8 and with that for England and Wales of 21.6. This
figure is regarded as an indication of the adequacy of the services
provided and can be regarded as very favourable.
Causes of Death
The commonest causes of death were diseases of the heart and
arteries and cancer. A table is given on page 9 showing variations,
in cause of death over the past 12 years. Due to an increase in the
proportion of older people there is a greater number of deaths
from disease due to vascular lesions of the nervous system, i.e.
strokes. The number dying from heart disease has increased and
there is a rise in deaths from coronary thrombosis - one of the main
scourges of modern times. There is a tendency for deaths from
cancer of the lung to rise although this is not as marked as might
have been expected bearing in mind the national trend in the incidence
of this disease. There is a very satisfactory decrease in deaths
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