AC4366 BET 49 Public Health Department, Town Hall, Bethnal Green, E.2. July, 1945. To the Mayor, Aldermen & Councillors of the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green. Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit herewith the last of my brief interim wartime reports on the health of the Borough and the work of the Public Health Department in respect of 1944. The Ministry of Health will no doubt request in due course a full report on the health of the Borough during the war years but meantime to enable the Council to note some of the changes which have taken place comparative figures for recent years are included. VITAL STATISTICS As I have indicated in earlier reports, the considerable alteration in the age and sex composition of the population, as well as its reduction in number, render the calculation and' interpretation of vital statistics somewhat difficult. It should be borne in mind that the following wartime figures relate solely to the civilian population of the borough. Death rate Infant death rate Birth rate maternal mortality rate 1936-8 average 12.2 70 13.7 1.9 1939 11.5 51 12.8 1.7 1940 20.1 50 15.1 Nil 1941 20.5 62 17.0 1.5 1942 14.8 46 19.3 1.0 20.2 70.3 18.7 2.2 1944 17.9 72.1 17.8 1.1 The Registrar-General has given 48,280 as his estimate of the civilian population in 1944. MATERNITY MP CHILD WELFARE It will be noted that the volume of work in this important branch of the Council's activities has been much reduced. War circumstances are chiefly responsible for this but it has also to be remembered that owing, to the absence of recruitment the age level of the Health Visiting staff is much higher than before the war and that our Welfare Centre accommodation is of a very inadequate and unattractive character. The return of more mothers and children from evacuation makes it very urgent to bring this service at least up to its pre-war standard, while plans are being made for the more substantial improvements which are hoped for as a part of post-war reconstruction. Attendances at Welfare Centres. 1936-8 average 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Babies (0-1) 10,332 5851 5745 3599 5542 6372 4118 Children (1-5) 7,427 6832 3551 785 758 599 Mothers Ante-natal 1,337 1247 813 687 1172 1734 1458 "Post-natal 345 185 7 - 8 16 ??? Visits of Health Visitors. Babies (0-1) 12,577 8,993 9,757 4,109 4764 7646 69.1 2 Children (1-5) 13,880 10,044 13,317 7,580 4826 6730 6428 Mothers Ante-natal 1,374 1,57 674 256 317 830 302 "Post-natal 367 128 75 37 49 98 36 Total visits and revisits: 31,242 21,476 23,356 13,841 11,415 17,012 15,323 - 2 - DISEASE The following figures show the general trend throughout the war, but it will be borne in mind that the years 1939-41, were considerably affected by the evacuation of a large part of the child population: 1936-38 average 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Measles (254) + 23 187 489 786 357 172 (1143) Whooping Cough (410) 312 10 345 160 193 184 (250) + Tuberculosis 134 101 82 96 116 101 124 Other notifiable infectious disease 951 566 272 309 288 478 112 + In view of the biennial incidence of these diseases, separate figures for 1957 and 1938 are given instead of the triennial average. There was a reduction in the incidence of practically every disease except Pulmonary Tuberculosis which showed a slight increase from 85 to 110 cases. FOOD 1936-38 average 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Unsound Food Seizures 2 _ 1 3 _ _ 1 Surrenders 19 16 41 45 176 204 252 Samples of Food taken 724 690 559 557 578 520 500 % of adulteration (all samples) 3.9 3.9 3.2 6.5 3.9 3.1 6.4 % of adulteration (milk samples) 2.6 2.7 3.8 3.3 0.7 Nil 2.4 As explained last year, the increase in the number of unsound food surrenders does not represent any deterioration in the conduct of the food trades but is mostly due to the facts that retailers have to surrender any unfit food, however small the quantity, in order to recover the points value under the rationing orders and that so much more canned food, which has often to be stored for long periods, is now being consumed. SANITATION The heavy incidence of war damage in the borough has not only substantially reduced the number of houses under inspection but has inevitably lowered the enforceable standard of sanitary fitness. 3 1936-38 average 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Infectious disease end food poisoning 2074 865 404 663 930 1221 694 Complaints 4756 4293 3625 3305 4226 3947 3401 House-to-house inspection 672 451 - 4 - - 41 Total Visits 44,608 44,954 32,627 31,277 36,368 33,092 30,723 Premises where nuisances abated 5657 4658 3592 3172 3585 3184 2814 Preliminary notices 5575 6234 4312 3585 4280 3675 2837 Nuisance notices 2474 3109 1878 1647 1623 1355 1042 DISINFECTION the disinfecting staff sprayed 536 rooms and disinfected 22,827 articles. The Personal Cleansing Station continues to be very well used for the treatment of cases of Scabies, as many as 141 men, 459 women, and 270 children attending for this purpose and having a total of 1888 treatments. WAR-TIME NURSERIES Two of the 4 nurseries in operation in the borough were seriously damaged by flying bombs during the year and had to be temporarily closed. Difficulty continues to be experienced in obtaining adequate and suitable staff but despite this and other adverse circumstances, the nurseries are now in good working order and are performing a useful function in child care and nurture. I hope that high among the priorities for reconstruction building in the borough will be the provision of an adequate number of modern Health Centres properly equipped and staffed th© maintenance and improvement of the health of the residents. VYNNE BORLAND, MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.