[Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Maidstone U.D.C. / Borough.
- Maidstone (England). Urban District Council.
- Date:
- 1959
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Maidstone U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![BOROUGH OF MAIDSTONE To The Worshipfu] The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Maidstone. YOUR WORSHIP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I have the honour to present my third Annual Report on the Health of Maidstone. This is the second report which follows the new series started last year, I understand that this form of report has received your approval, and I am hoping to continue with the present series without amendment for at least a few years. The year 1959 was in general a good one for the health of Maidstone. An outstanding feature of the statistical return is the diminution of infantile mortality from 27,15 per thousand in 1958 to 20,8 in 1959. This incidence is below that of the general infantile mortality for England and Wales, which now stands at 22, Prom the quinquennial graph given in the following pages, it will be seen that with one exception only, the infantile mortality in Maidstone has always run parallel with the national average and on a slightly lower plane. Very real efforts are still being made to reduce this mortality to an even lower level. It may be that that stage is nearly reached now, but there is at least some way to go before one can feel that everything is being done to save infant life. The general death rate has increased very slightly, but the main burden of this increase has fallen on the very advanced age group, and is not reflected in any way in a significant swing to other age groups. Nevertheless a substantial part of the death rate, in cancer for example, still falls on the middle years of life. In addition to cancer this age group also suffers an undue proportion of deaths from coronary disease. In last year's Annual Report I discussed coronary disease at length, and the advice given at that time still remains - “Moderation in all things35. Much work has been done in the recent past to tie down coronary disease to one or two specific factors, but so far these efforts have not resulted in a clear-cut conclusion A considerable amount of time has been devoted in the Council's affairs this year to the welfare of the elderly, and an increasing interest is being taken in the ways and means whereby the great work being done by the voluntary organisations can be canalised into more integrated pattern The Borough will shortly embark on an ambitious programme for the housing of the elderly, and I know that it is your intention to use those pilot schemes as a means to further extension of these services. It should never be forgotten that important although housing certainly is for the elderly, the mere provision of accommodation does not end the problem of welfare for the elderly. The real problem lies in loneliness, mainly through inability to make the effort to maintain contract with the community.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29780883_0005.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
