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2.
ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR
1951
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Chingford Corporation.
Mr. Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
I have pleasure in submitting my Annual Report for the year 1951
upon the health and sanitary circumstances of the Borough.
The population of the Borough was 48,330, the figure recorded at
the time of the census in April, 1951,
The following points in regard to vital statistics are of
interest; the birth rate showed a further decline to 12,2 per thousand,
the lowest figure ever recorded for the district. The death rate at
8,7 per thousand was slightly higher than the previous year.
The infant mortality rate, i.e. the number of deaths of infants
under one year of age per thousand live births, rose sharply to 23.7.
I pointed out in my report for 1950 that the figure for that year, viz:
11,6 was a record low figure for the district. In any one year there
has always been a hard-core of infant deaths due to such causes as
prematurity, congenital deformities and failure to survive the stresses
and strains of birth; the number of. such deaths will vary from year to
year and will naturally cause considerable fluctuation in the infant
mortality rate. The table on page 37 illustrates this point.
In the matter of infectious diseases, the year saw a great
increase in the incidence of measles and whooping cough in the Borough.
This rise in incidence was also general throughout the whole country.
I am very pleased to be able to report that there were no cases
of diphtheria nor poliomyelitis.
An outbreak of dysentery occurred in the early part of the year,
in which one of the Day Nurseries was involved in addition to cases
occurring among the general public: the administrative measures which
suppressed the outbreak in the Nursery and allowed it to remain open are
described in the text.
The problem of the care of the aged continues to cause considerable
anxiety. Several persons who were aged, infirm and unable to
take care of themselves were referred to me by general practitioners
and others during the year. I dislike having to take action under
Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, in such cases: this
section empowers me to obtain a court order to have them compulsorily
removed to hospital or other place where they will receive care and