[Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Lowestoft Borough and Port.

  • Lowestoft (England). Borough & Port Council.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Lowestoft Borough and Port. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    BOROUGH OP LOWESTOFT ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HEDICaL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR 1945 Taii interim report) Health Department, 123 High Street. Your Worship the Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen;, T heg to suhmit'my annual report on the health of the borough for the year 1943? which by direction of Circular-28/46 is again an interim report. With a gradual return of peace-time population the local death rate (12.2) now approximates towards that for the country as a whole (11.4)• The birth rate of 21.6 for the year fails to reach the 1944 record of 24*0 but at a figure 30% over that for England and Wales suggests a high natural vitality in the borough population. The infant mortality figure of 27 for the year is 40% below the national rate and shows a favourable local environment for the rearing of babies following removal of wartime factors. % No cause of sickness or invalidity has been specially noteworthy during the year and detailed comparison of statistical rates continues of little value owing to abnormal migration, now in a reverse direction* The personnel of this department, still markedly reduced from its pre-war establishment, can only slowly be built-up owing to shortage of professionally qualified persons. Limited medical and health visiting staff continues to prevent complete discharge of all child welfare functions but‘at all times priority is given to the more important aspects of such work. The success of efforts towards securing immunisation against diphtheria of a high proportion of infants under 5 years continues noteworthy. In this connection a' short study of the local changes over a period of years in diphtheria mortality, frequency, and age incidence will be found in the body of the report. I am. Ladies & Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, V. R. WALKER. Medical Officer of Health. July, 1946 A. Statistics and Social Conditions of the Area Area (including foreshore) . (acres) 5?495 Population at -1931 Census . 4l,768 Registrar-General’s estimate of resident population, mid-1945 32,376 Number of inhabitated houses according to rate books at December, 1945 (estimated) ... 11,675 Rateable value . £243?636 £861 (cash product) Sum represented by a penny rate (1944/1945)