Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation.

  • Durban (South Africa). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1933]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/26 (page 1)
    1 PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT To His Worship the Mayor and Town Councillors of the Borough of Durban. 1st August, 1933. Madam and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present herewith the Thirty-sec >nd Annual Report dealing with the health and sanitary conditions of the Borough of Durban, for the year ended 30th June, 1933. fhJCORPOBATION. On the 1st August 1932, the Borough boundaries were extended so as to include the areas formerly administered by the Greenwood Park, Sydenham, Mayville, Umhlatu- iBtia and South Coast Junction Health Boards. Having! regard to the fact that the population of the Borough was thereby increased from 120,020 to 215,001 and its area from 13 sq. miles to sq. miles, it will be appreciated that the occasion was one which influenced the various activities of this Department to a considerable degree in which every effort^ had to be exerted to adapt existing conditions and office facilities to the task of administering public health functions in the Greater Borough. On incorporation of the Sanitary Staffs of the Health Boards were absorbed into the De¬ partment with the result that the lack of adequate office accommodation has impeded the normal progress and efficiency of the Department. On the appointment of a whole-time Clinical Medical Officer in January to undertake the duties of Sick Leave Control, Medical Attendance on Police and Fire Brigade Staffs and Injured- pn-duty Cases together with Medical Attendance on the patients isolated at the Fever Hospital, ,i,e Assistant Medical Officer of Health was transferred and is now devoting his whole time to executive public health duties. VITAL STATISTICS. POPULATION (Estimated). Districts Hjfflfc&n greenwood Park am m f»blatuzana b gouth Coast Junction f TOTALS iuropeans Coloureds Natives Asiatics Total GO. 000 4,400 43,750 19,100 127,250 5,110 Unknown 2,100 5,270 12,480 2,900 do. 4,500 13,460 20,850 2,964 510 4.000 14,380 21,855 5,140 Unknown 1,400 3,500 10,040 3,485 do. 8,860 14,000 26,345 79,600 4,910 64,610 69,710 v 218,830 deaths. There were 1,972 deaths amongst Borough residents made up as follows: European ,«5,Coloureds 74, Natives 8f>5 and Asiatics 318. The European Death Rate (for outward transfers ^gjy) was 8.98 as compared with 8.45 for ‘old’ Durban last year. / IXFAN’TILE MORTALITY. The following table shows the Infantile Mortality figure over the pist eight years, (Borough Europeans Only.) 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 Greater Durban 1932 1933 47 35 44 46 36 36 44 41 45.81 36.3 44.62 46.64 36.99 37.73 47.82 39.96 Deaths . Mortality Rate I tJRTHS There were 1,438 European births in Greater Durban during the year, giving a Birth K of 18.25 as against 15.4 for ‘old’ Durban in the previous year. The following table shows ‘ | recorded births—all races—and birth rates in the case of residents only, for the past ten years.