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3
Public Health Department,
Town Hall, N. 15.
1st September, 1946.
His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Tottenham.
Mr. Mayor, My Lord, My Lady, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit this my Annual Report on the
health of the Borough for the year ending the 31st December, 1945.
In spite of the many hardships endured during the grim years of
a world war, I am happy to be able to report that, in the year of
victory, there is no statistical evidence of any appreciable
deterioration in the health of the civilian population in this
Borough.
The vital statistics which concern the life and well-being of the
future generation are so significant as to call for special mention.
The maternal mortality rate of 0.49 is the lowest ever recorded in
this district, and the infantile mortality rate of 39.24 is the second
lowest record, comparing favourably with that of 46 for England
and Wales. The untiring effort of the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee to maintain a comprehensive service during the war
years is reflected in such figures. Particular mention must be made
too, of the yeoman service of health visitors and midwives and
specialist medical officers in charge of ante-natal and infant welfare
clinics. The high percentage of attendance at these clinics during
the year has given ample proof of the public's confidence in this
basically important preventive health service.
The birth rate of 17.97 shows a reduction on the previous year,
but is still high compared with that of 16.1 for the whole country.
The general death rate was 12.4 compared with 12.5 for the previous
year. The population though much below the pre-war figure of
144,400, shows a rise from 108,160 in 1944 to 110,600 in 1945.
The main pre-occupation of the public health department during
the past months, has been the heavy and oft-times distressing task
of dealing with over 7,000 applicants for housing accommodation,
and the allocation of 320 temporary houses and requisitioned
premises. Vigorous action has been taken to raise the standard of
existing properties; and in this respect the sanitary inspectors have