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

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

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

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    Annual Report of the Medical Ojfcer of Health for the year 1952 To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of Brentwood. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Again it is my privilege to present to you an Annual Report on the health of our Urban District. The report is drawn up in accordance with Circular 2/53 of the Ministry of Health dated 22nd January, 1953. The arrangement by which the Medical Officer of Health of the Local Sanitary Authority is also an officer of the local Authority for duties under Part III of the National Health Service Act, 1948, i.e., the Essex County Council, continues. In my view this is beneficial to both Authorities as it ensures: that a professional official on the spot is in touch v>dth all aspects of Public Health administration. I am happy to say that the year 1952 now under review saw the maintenance of a satisfactory standard of Public Health. The population is steadily rising owing to the creation of housing estates to accommodate the overspill from greater London. Such estates are well planned and built. On their occupants now falls the grave responsibility of helping the Local Authority to maintain a high level of environmental hygiene. Nothing so weakens the moral fibre of a family or of a nation as the idea that individual effort is not needed. Private enterprise is also busy providing many new homes for the people. The total of Notifiable Diseases was lower than in 1951. Measles was again most prevalent and at the end of the year the incidence curve of this disease was clearly shown to be sharply in the ascendant. Diphtheria was absent for the fourth year running. Poliomyelitis provided only two cases, both in married women.] Food poisoning occurred at a residential school on one occasion,, of which fuller particulars are given on a later page. Fortunately there was no serious result. In the Spring we welcomed a visit from the Mass Radiog-- raphy Unit of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, lasting about three weeks. I was happy to renew my acquaintance with Dr,