[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Christchurch Borough.

  • Christchurch (Dorset, England). Borough Council
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Christchurch Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/52 page 16
    GENERAL REMARKS: The health of the Borough has been satisfactory throughout the year. The Scarlet Fever outbreak in Highcliffe carried on from the previous year and gradually subsided. The large number of cases of Measles is accounted for by the normal periodicity of the disease. Other infectious disease was negligible. The population increased by an estimated 220, the smallest annual increase for five years. The Birth Rate showed a further slight decrease and was the lowest for 13 years. The Infant Mortality Rate is the lowest ever recorded for the town. The Death Rate showed a very considerable rise and is the highest recorded for over 30 years. It is well above the national figure though it is much nearer to it, after application of the ‘com- parability factor.’ This sudden rise is not due to any increase in ill health or indeed to any true rise in the number of deaths oc- curring in the area, but purely to a change introduced by the Registrar General in the classification of “Transferable Deaths.” Formerly the death of a person coming from an outside area was considered to be a death to be shown among the figures of his place of origin and was not recorded with our indigenous deaths. During the past year this was changed and certain long stay institutions were classified as the inmates’ permanent address. Any deaths occurring there were non-transferable. As we have a large number of such institutions taking cases from outside the Borough, notably from Bournemouth, our figures have been markedly affected. Following representations by Medical Officers of Health a more reasonable attitude is being adopted and this should effect an improvement in our figures in 1954. Housing remains a serious problem, with Holmsley the major issue. The slow rate of delivery of new Council houses is a cause of distress. At the time of writing no new Council house had be- come available for occupation for eight months. A temporary improvement in sewage disposal has been effected by the connexion of our system to one of Bournemouth’s outfalls, pending the construction of our own new Scheme. In conclusion, I would thank the Mayor and Members of the Council for their continued interest and encouragement, my col- leagues in other departments for their advice and assistance, and in particular the Chief Sanitary Inspector and his two assistants for their industry and loyalty throughout the year. D. J. N. McNAB. June, 1954. Medical Officer of Health. X6
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