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Merton Urban District Council.
HEALTH REPORT FOR 1908.
TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE
MERTON URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour of submitting for the year 1908 my
first Annual Report, the first issued since Merton became
invested with Urban Powers after its separation from the
Croydon Rural District.
The figures for the 10 years ending 1907 have been taken
from Dr. Fegen's Annual Report issued last year, and 1 am
indebted to him for them.
The Death Rate registered in the District was 6.7 per
thousand population. The addition of Merton residents whose
deaths were registered outside the District raised the rate to
7.9, which compares favourably with the average of 11.4 for
the past 10 years ending 1907. The lowest rate in this decade
being in the year 1906, when it was 8.7, whilst in 1907 it
was 10.6.
The reduction of the death rate in England and Wales
was from 15 in 1907 to 14.7 in 1908, or a difference of .3. Compared
with the average of the years 1897-1906, there was a
saving of 1.7 lives per thousand in 1907.
The Infant Mortality Rate was particularly low, being
48, calculated per thousand registered births. The average for
the same preceding 10 years ending 1907 was 108, the lowest