[Report 1923] / Medical Officer of Health, Belfast County Borough.

  • Belfast (Northern Ireland). County Borough Council.
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1923] / Medical Officer of Health, Belfast County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/100 (page 5)
    To the Lord Mayor and Corporation of the County Borough of Belfast, My Lord Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to submit to you my eighteenth Annual Report on the Health of the County Borough of Belfast and the Administration of the Public Health Department. The period included in the report is from the 1st January till the 29th Decem- ber, 1923, with the exception of the portions dealing with Meat Inspection and Venereal Diseases which are far the year ended 31st March, 1924. The population, as estim.ated by the Registrar-General to the middle of the year, was 429,000, an increase of 4,000 compared with the year 1922. As will be seen from the statistics throughout the report there was a decided improvement in the health of the City compared with preceding years. The birth rate for the year was 25.0, a decrease of 0.1 compared with the preceding year when the rate was 25.1. The death rate from All Causes was 13.8 per 1,000 of the population, a decrease of 1.0 compared wdh the year 1922 and of 3.8 compared With the average rate for the ten preceding years. This is the lowest death rate ever recorded for the City. Of the total deaths registered 518 were caused by Zymotic Diseases, equivalent to 1.2 per 1,000 of the population, an increase of 0.6 per 1,000 compared with the preceding year when the number registered was 264 and the rate 0.6 per 1,000. The increase was due to Measles and Whooping Cough, non-notifiable diseases. During the year 308 deaths were caused by these diseases compared with 49 for the year 1922. There was a further reduction m the number of deaths caused by Typhoid Fever. Only 4 deaths were registered during the year as having been caused b}^ this disease compared with 7 m 1922, 15 m 1921, and 34 in 1920. There was a decrease of 0.2 per 1,000 of the population in the death rate from Phthisis and of 0.4 in the total deaths from Chest Affections. 101 deaths of children under one year old per 1,000 births were registered during the year. This is an increase of 7 per 1,000 compared with the preceding year. The number of cases of Infectious Diseases notified under the Infectious Disease (Notification) Act was 1,464. The number notified in the year 1922 was l,470,[and the average number notified annually during the ten years 1913-1922 was 2,077. A greater number of mothers and expectant mothers took advantage of the benefits of the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme, as shown by the increase during the year m the number of those attending the Child Welfare Centres. I have pleasure m acknowledging the loyalty of and the efficient services rendered by every member of the staff from the Executive Sanitary Officer (Mr. Geo. Ward) to the most junior official. I am, my Lord Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, H. W. BAILIE, Medical Superintendent Officer of Health.