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3
Public Health Department,
Town Hall, N.15.
1st November, 1947.
His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Tottenham.
Mb. Mayor, My Lord, My Lady, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit this my tenth Annual Report
on the health of the Borough for the year ending the 31st
December, 1946.
Delay in submission of this Report is due to an exceptional
number of retirements and resignations of key personnel during
the year. Resignations have been partly due to a general feeling
of uneasiness caused by the transfer of so many important health
functions away from the Borough under the provisions of the
Education Act, 1944, and the National Health Service Act, 1946.
Vital Statistics.
The population, though still below the pre-war figure of
144,000, shows a rise of 14,230 over the previous year and is now
estimated to be 124,830. The birth rate was 20.7, the highest for
over 20 years, and the number of registered live births 2,580.
Special satisfaction must be expressed in recording the lowest
infantile death rate in the history of Tottenham of 34.1, compared
with that of 43 for the whole country. The maternal death rate
was 1.49, and the general death rate 11.9.
Housing.
Every effort possible has been made during the year to ease
the unfavourable housing situation, aggravated by six years at
war. Progress made and the difficulties met with by the Public Health
Department are set out in some detail on pages 21 to 29 of this
Report.
Infectious Diseases.
There was no serious outbreak of infectious disease during
the year. The number of cases of diphtheria, 83, was one of the
lowest recorded, and no death occurred during the year from this
disease. An increase in the incidence of tuberculosis, 222 new
cases being recorded as compared with 155 in the previous year,