[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Ashington U.D.C.

  • Ashington (Northumberland, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Ashington U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/26
    HEALTH FOR 1953 To the Chaiiman and Members oj the Uiban District Council of Ashington. Madam Chairman and Councillors, I have the honour to present to you my report for the year 1953. The vital statistics are very satisfactory. There has been a fractional increase in the birth rate, and a definite fall in the death rate. The still-birth rate has declined and the infantile and tuberculosis mortality rates are the lowest ever recorded in the district. With the exception of the general death rate all the above-mentioned rates are better than the corres- ponding rates for the whole of England and Wal es and are also better than the average rates for the 160 smaller towns among which Ashington is included. The total number of deaths under 1 year was only 9 and neo-natal deaths, i.e. under the age of one month, accounted for two-thirds of this total. 1 he incidence of notifiable infectious diseases was low and new cases of Tuberculosis notified totalled only 14, ccmpared with 25 in the previous year. It is gratifying to be able to report that, for the fourth successive year, no case of Diphtheria occurred in Ashington and that in the past seven years this disease has caused no deaths. The housing problem is still with us and the time when every family can have its own home appears to be still distant. There can be no doubt that overcrowding, and the friction which often results when families have to share houses, can have serious ill-effects not only on the physical but also on the mental health cf the persons involved and can cause many broken marriages and much unhappiness. Apart from the perennial problem of housing, there is little else of outstanding importance to record. In the body of the report details are given which show that a large amount cf persevering, patient effort has been devotee to the service of the community. The work accomplished, though routine and unexciting, is, nevertheless, important to the health of the people of the district. In conclusion, 1 should like to thank members cf the Council for the consideration they have shown me and, in particular, for the kind concern which they evinced during my illness at the end of last year. 1 must also express my appreciation of the work of the Sanitary inspectors and the help 1 have received from other departments of the Council. I am. Mr. Chairman and Councillors, Your obedient servant, C. B. McGregor, Medical Officer of Health,