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PREFACE.
Public Health Department,
Ilford,
3rd April, 1912.
To the Chairman and Members of the
ILFORD URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Gentlemen,
In accordance with the regulations of the Local
Government Board and the Board of Education, I herewith
present my Annual Report for the year 1911. This makes
the eleventh I have had the honour to place before you on
the health of this district, and the fourth under the (Education
(Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907.
From the Census returns taken in April the total population
is given as 78,205, and as my estimate was 80,522 it
seems to me there is every reason for congratulation that
the difference was so small. An intercensal period of ten
years is a long time, allowing numerous possibilities of error
to creep in. As the reliability of most of the various rates
depends on the accuracy of this estimate of the population,
it will readily be seen how important it is for this estimate
to be approximately correct. The death-rate for 1911 was
9.4, as compared with 7.9 in 1910. One potent factor in
increasing the number of deaths was the hot, dry summer,
which caused 64 deaths from Diarrhoea. The infantile mortality
figure for the year was 83, and if that portion of the
Report is examined it will be seen how favourably Ilford
compares in this respect with other towns. The Notification
of Births Act, and the consequent measures under that Act,
appear to me undoubtedly to have very materially assisted
in achieving this result, so that the Council can congratulate
itself on its wisdom in adopting and carrying out this Act.