London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Surbiton 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Surbiton]
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of 12.9 persons per acre.
The population is on the whole well housed. The 1951
census showed 17.,.640 separate dwellings which was an increase
of 126% on the 1931 figures, with 4.8 rooms to the dwelling on
the average as compared with 5.79 rooms per dwelling in 1931.
The actual households of families were 18,965, an increase
of 127% with l4.6% sharing a dwelling and 4.38 rooms per household.
.
11.4% of the population occupied one or two rooms only,
and the average number of persons per household was 3.14
compared with 3.51 in 1931, and 9.4% as one person households.
The density of occupation per room generally was 0.72.
There has been a considerable movement into Surbiton from
surrounding areas and in common with the rest of Surrey,
Surbiton receives a fair proportion of residents of British
Overseas and Foreign origin.
Another important feature of the population is demonstrated
by the,numbers, considerably above the average for the country
as a whole, of the population having advantages of full time
advanced education. This fact emphasises the pressing need in
this area for Grammar School, Technical College, Art School and
University Places.
the Registrar general divides population into five broad groups and classes,
and from the following short statement it is seen how classes I, it and III preponderate.
| Social Class (per thousand; | I | II | III | IV | V | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURBITON | 88 . | 237 | 529 | 71 | 75 | ||
| England and 7/ales | 33 . | 150 | 527 | 162 . | 128 | ||
These facts on the constitution of the population have a
direct bearing on the community needs and behaviour.
Infectious Disease: The number of infectious disease notifications
received in 19.56 was 686 which is 1+83 lower than in 1955 ,
the decrease mainly being due to the large fall in metsLes notifications.
There was a considerable outbreak of Sonne Dysentery reaching
289 notifications. This outbreak involved the Department in
an .enormous amount of work which was strongly persisted in with the
result that the outbreak was kept in bounds and finally brought to
an end. Grateful acknowledgement is due to the Public Health
Inspectors, the Doctors, Parents, Teachers and to Dr. Stone at the
Public Health Laboratory at Epsom for their combined efforts in this
work.
No case of Diphtheria was notified for the eleventh year in
succession, and further progress was made in the active immunisation
of the child population against this deadly and disabling disease.
It is very necessary to.keep up propaganda in favour of immunisation
. 3 .