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Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report on the Health Services of the Borough
for the year 1949•
The population remained steady during the year, at 173.700. The rapid increase
during the immediate post-war period had already shown clear signs of slackening before the
end of 1947, and while there is still need for caution in venturing an opinion, it does
appear that the population may be stabilising about a level a few thousands above the
optimum approved by the Council and incorporated in the Abercrombie Greater London Plan
(165,000) but well below the pre-war figure of 290,000.
The birth rate showed a further drop from 21.0 to 18.7. This is still rather higher
than the pre-war levels and a further fall may yet be in prospect. The infant mortality
fell to 23 and the still birth rate to 19. Both are new low records and represent a
gratifying saving of infant lives. The death rate, at 11.1 was rather higher than last
year (9-9) but remained within the range of recent years.
Measles was once more epidemic - for the fifth year in succession - and again a
high prevalence of whooping cough accompanied it. Mortality remained low. Poliomyelitis
also gave rise to an epidemic, on rather larger scale than the one in 1947, with 37 cases,
plus two cases and one death from polio-encephalitis. Diphtheria, on the other hand,
showed a remarkable decline to a total of four cases (unfortunately with one death) for the
whole year. That figure would have been scarcely credible a few years ago, and, as part
of a national trend, reflects the favourable results of a sustained campaign of immunisation.
Other common infectious diseases and causes of death showed small variations from the
previous year, probably of no great significance,,though deaths from respiratory diseases
were rather high.
I would like to draw attention to the outbreak of Pood Poisoning recorded on page
14. The lessons to be learnt from the account there given are the wide extent of the
damage which can be done by a single infected person handling food on a commercial scale,
and the fact that ordinary standards of cleanliness, acceptable or even creditable in most
walks of life, are not sufficient to prevent the spread of infection under such circumstances.
The most meticulous routine of personal cleanliness, intelligently applied, and having at
its disposal the proper facilities to enable it to be constantly observed, is required for
the public protection wherever food is handled. This episode emphasises the need for a
clean food campaign of an educational nature such as the Health Committee had under consideration
towards the end of the year.
Despite these unsatisfactory features which marred the record, the statistics
indicate that on the whole the health of the population was well maintained.
In the section dealing with the personal health services, it is pleasing to be able
to report the first fruits of the Council8s scheme for the training of student health
visitors. By the end of the year four sponsored students had obtained their Certificates
and joined the staff as qualified health visitors. Others were already in training, giving
promise of a fairly rapid build-up of the health visiting service. The demands on the
Home Help Service continued to increase steadily throughout the year and towards the
close it was becoming apparent that the administrative staff would soon need reinforcement
to cope with it: it was not proving as difficult as might have been feared, to obtain the
home helps themselves.
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