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Public Health Department.
Town Hall.
Wallington.
To His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Beddington and Wallington.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit my report for the year ending 31st December, 1942.
As instructed by the Minister of Health, no figures are given in
the Report concerning rise and fall in the population. The Minister
is of opinion that such information should be withheld for security
reasons.. The Report as a whole has been kept as small as possible,
most of the information being presented as statistical summaries, and
only those tables which the Minister considers essential being included.
Amongst the vital statistics, the most significant is the large rise
in the birth rate.This rise is general for the whole country. The
rate for Beddington and Wallington has risen from 10.79 for the year
1941 to 16.33 for the year 1942, a total of 447 live births being registered
during the year. The death rate, at 11.21, remains practically
stationary.
One of the most important problems which the Corporation has
had to face during the year and one which, unfortunately, will
become even worse during the later stages of the war and the first
years of peace, is the housing shortage.
The health of the community as a whole, as revealed in the
statistical information supplied in the Report, remains at a high
level. No epidemics or marked increase in any of the infectious
diseases was recorded during the year.
The general state of nutrition of the community was maintained
at a good level, having regard to the inevitable reductions in the
purchase of essential foods, due to the Government's rationing
scheme. There was no evidence of serious vitamin deficiencies. It
is possible, however, that minor degrees of vitamin deficiency do
exist and cause moderate degrees of ill-health among certain classes
of the community.
Amongst young children, deficiencies in Vitamins C and D,
although not causing many cases with marked clinical features of
the deficiency diseases, undoubtedly give rise to minor maladies of
childhood. Late dentition, nervous irritability and other symptoms
of a slightly lower standard of health were noted. Such departures
from the ideals to be aimed at in child welfare bear no relation,
however, to the very much lower standards seen during the last
great war. There is no room for complacency, however, and no
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