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Public Health Department,
Elrnfield House,
High Street,
Teddington.
To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS
of the BOROUGH OP TWICKENHAM.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the annual statistical
summary and report on the health and sanitary conditions of
the Borough during the year ending 31st December,1946.
The figures in the various tables reflect the
enormous increase in the popularity and use the public is
making of the health services. More and more people are
seeking advice; in every section of the department the work
dontinues to expand,, A rough estimate of the annual total of
visits, consultations and inspections may be put at 60,000.
The mortality and infectious disease rates indicate that the
health of the people of the Borough is good; the most recent
figures shew continuous improvement.
The birth rate rose to 19.01 births per 1,000 of the
population as compared with 16.7; nearly 2,000 babies were born
- an increase of over 400 on the previous year. In addition
to this natural increase, the population increased by over
10,000 - due mostly to people coming into the Borough from
other places. The Registrar General estimates the population
at the middle of the year at almost 103,000 - a figure higher
than it had ever been before. The health services were
extended without interruption to deal with this extra work.
The ante-natal, midwifery and infant welfare services in the
Borough can claim great credit for the most commendable fall
in the infant mortality rate which placed Twickenham the
fourth best Borough in the London and South Eastern Group of
great towns. The rate worked out at 26.09 deaths per 1,000
live births compared with 48.02 the previous year; the new rate
creates a record, even over the very low figure (26.4) achieved
in 1939. Premature births 10 (1945 - 28). Congenital malformations
still the same. Unfortunately the illegitimate infant
death rate remained high at 80 infant deaths per 1,000 illegitimate
infants born. There were 99 infants born to unmarried
mothers - 45 less than in the previous year; in almost every
case arrangements were made for ante and post-natal care, for
midwifery or hospital services at the confinement, for the rehabilitation
of the mother after convalescence by finding
suitable work for her, by arranging for the baby to bo looked
after at home, or by the grandparents, or by being boarded out,
or by adoption. The mothers receive advice about
ation orders; in a small number of cases they wore accommodated
in the ante and post-natal hostels.
The general death rate fell from 12.15 the previous
year to 10.89. This rate, well below the overage for the
country, is the rote we enjoyed beforo the war and indicates
that Twickenham is a healthy town to live in. The incidence
of the various causes of death is substantially unaltered;
there were fewer deaths from tuberculosis, but road traffic
accidents caused 18 deaths as compared with 12 the previous
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