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7
process but no time has been lost in planning for the future improvement
of conditions in the Borough which have a bearing on the
health of the population. For instance, a reference is made in the
Report to the consideration which is being given to the future needs
of the Borough as regards the provision of an adequate number of
specially constructed and equipped maternity and child welfare
centres and day nurseries.
It will be seen from the report that the year under review
was a fairly satisfactory one from the health point of view. The
birth rate of 17.8 per 1,000 of the population, though lower than
the three preceding years, was an improvement on the pre-war
years as far back as 1925 when the rate was 17.9. Hackney's birth
rate is consistently better than the rates for London and the country
as a whole.
The death rate was 13.3 per 1,000 of the population as
compared with 14.3 in the previous year. The Borough's death
rate has been consistently better than the London rate throughout
the war years though not so good as the rate for England and Wales.
Deaths from enemy action have, of course, affected the death rates
in the Metropolitan Boroughs to a greater extent than the rest of
the country.
The infant mortality rate was 41.8 per 1,000 live births,
and this rate is only slightly higher than the rates in the two record
years, 1939 and 1940. The rate was lower than the rates for London
and for the whole country, as is usually the case. The Borough's
infant mortality rate will, no doubt, be still further improved as
time goes by though the number of preventable infant deaths must
be approaching the irreducible minimum.
Very full use was made of the facilities provided in the
Council's maternity and child welfare centres, particularly of the
ante-natal consultation clinics. In the first few months of the
year the work of the maternity and child welfare centres was interrupted
to some extent by the V. weapon attacks but the attendances
of infants improved as the children returned from evacuation
at the close of the war.
The eight day nursuries continued to serve an urgent need
and, indeed, were unable to cope with the demand.
Reference is also made in the Report to the extended Home
Helps service which got under way during the year and is serving
a real need, as is evidenced by the rapid growth of the service,
particularly since the close of the year under review. The service