[Report 1952] / Medical Officer of Health, Guisborough U.D.C.

  • Guisborough (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1952
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1952] / Medical Officer of Health, Guisborough U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/22 (page 1)
    TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE GUISBOROUGH URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I beg to submit my sixth annual report for the year 1952, the contents and arrangements of which are in accordance with Circular 2/53 of the Ministry of Health. On this occasion I would like to refer to one matter that strikes me as being of particular importance at the present time, namely, the care of the aged, or to use the word recently coined from the Greek, Geriatrics—the care and support of the aged so that they are the least burden to the nation and retain the greatest happiness for themselves. Our population is ageing because the public health has extended the span of life and has moreover delayed the onset of senescence: men of 65 today are generally as vigorous as those a considerable number of years their junior a hundred years ago. Some may not be mentally or physically able to work: others, particularly in heavy work, will need transferring to lighter occupations: a large number, if not quite so agile as of yore, have that inestimable asset—experience. To let these rust in retirement— and they are an ever increasing number—trying to pursue hobbies or find odd jobs is to render null and void the greatest achievement of a hundred years of the public health. They are the elderly, but what about the aged—those past real work—and they, too, are an ever increasing number—who require care and support, in plain words the infirm old people ? It is both economical and humane to keep these out of the institutions for as long as possible even if there were sufficient beds: the domestic help service of the local health authority in that respect serves a most useful purpose: such help is, or should be, complementary to that of friends or relatives whenever these are available. It is most gratifying to report that the Infantile Mortality Rate (deaths of infants in the first year of life per 1,000 births in that year) has fallen to the very low figure of 7, one infant having died. I believe that this is the lowest Infantile Mortality Rate ever recorded in the district. I would like, however, to point out that in a relatively small community such as Guisborough there can be wide fluctuations in the rate without any special significance being attached to such variations: nevertheless, such a low rate is worthy of mention. With the increase of houses in Guisborough I feel that the time will arrive when it will be possible to consider the clearance of old and insanitary properties—some, doubtless, in the centre of the town. I observe with interest that according to my figures since 1948 some 314 new houses have been built, but according to the Registrar General the population has only increased by 240.