[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall].

  • Southall (London, England). Borough Council.
Date:
[1953?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/42 (page 3)
    THE COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF SOUTHALL, 1952 HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR *Alderman J. Lowe, J.P. Deputy Mayor: Councillor J. G. P. Dormer. Aldermen: *Dane, A. T. Gardner, F. E. Lowe, J., J.P. Douglas, H. C. Hopkins, W. H. Marks, F. J., J.P. Councillors: *Barrett, J. *Godman, A. S. Shepherd, A. H. †*BlDWELL, S. J. haigh, J. *Southey P. G. †*Cavell, Mrs. I., J.P. †*LovE, P. J. (Chairman, Steele, T. J. Cullingworth, F. A. Public Health Committee). *Ward, J. H. Dormer, J. G. P. Lye, A. E. White, H. J. *Errington, F. G. *Salmon, J. *Williams, Mrs. V. G. I. Sheil, E. J. * Members of the Public Health Committee, † Members of the Area Health Committee (Area No. 9). To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Southall. MR. MAYOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I have the honour to present the 56th Annual Report on the health and circumstances of the population of the Borough of Southall, for the year 1952. The health of the people continued to be good. The birth rate, which has been falling over the years since 1946, showed another slight decrease, the total number of births being identical with that in 1951, i.e. 706, and this, calculated against an increased total population, produces a birth rate for the year of 12.94. The death rate fell from 9.91 in 1951 to 9.33 in 1952. This compares favourably with the death rate for the whole country, which was 11 3. Heart disease and cancer were again the principal causes of death and although there was a reduction in the number of deaths from respiratory diseases, it is noteworthy that 17 out of the total 74 deaths from this cause occurred in the month of the great London fog. A satisfactory fact to be able to record is that the infant mortality rate of 19.83 deaths per 1,000 live births is the lowest ever recorded for Southall, comparing favourably with the national infant mortality rate of 27.6. It is interesting to look back on the Annual Report for 1943 in which the infant mortality was 53.01, and in which it was suggested that an infant mortality of 27 per 1,000 which had then been obtained in New Zealand was an ideal to be aimed at and not likely to be achieved very rapidly. Since among the infant deaths are included three from pneumonia and five from prematurity, causes which could be considered to be preventable, it is reasonable to hope for still further reduction in the infant mortality rate. The total number of infectious diseases notifications was very much lower than during the previous year. This was principally due to a fall in the number of notifications of measles and whooping cough. No case of diphtheria has been notified in the Borough of Southall since 1948, and although the number of notifications of scarlet fever was slightly increased the type of illness was not severe and few secondary cases occurred. There was an increase in the number of cases of poliomyelitis and seven out of the eight notified patients had the paralytic form of the disease. 3