[Report 1939] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter.

  • Exeter (England). City Council.
Date:
1939
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/38
    I have the honour to present to the Right Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the City of Exeter, an interim Annual Report for the year 1939. By Circular 1961 dated 16th February, 1940, the Ministry of Health directed that annual reports of medical officers of health “ might without disadvantage be materially shortened,” never- theless the information required in this eight page circular was considerable. In a later circular, No. 2067, dated 19th July, 1940, the Ministry gave directions “ for the further curtailment of such reports.” These reports are to be confined to essential and urgent matters which have affected the public health during the year, especially any matters arising from or connected with the War, outbreaks of infectious disease, and measures for matern- ity and child welfare, together with any exceptional measures taken or recommended by the Medical Officer of Health. Suitable arrangements are to be made for the preservation of records and stat- istics, in order that, after the termination of the war, more complete reports may be available, thus mabitr.’ning the continuity of annual records so far as is practicable. As a matter of' convenience and record, the names of the committees are given, also the staff, omitting professional quali- fications. The body of the report deals with the principal vital statistics, food and drugs inspection in brief, housing, infectious disease and the work of the Maternity and Child Welfare Depart- ment. Many useful tables have had to be omitted, including details of the work of the Sanitary ' Inspector’s Department. The work of the Mental Deficiency Committee has already been reported to the Council and to the Board of Control, and is there- fore omitted. During the year there was no material change in the sanitary circumstances of the area, that is water supply, sewerage and refuse collection. The small increase in ^creage is due to an extension by agreement and comprises the site of the new Cattle Market. It will be observed that the Registrar General has furnished two population figures for the calculations of the Birth Rate and Death Rate respectively. The former is the estimated resident population, including non-civilians as at the middle of the year. This may be regarded as the Registrar General’s estimate of the population had circumstances been normal. The latter is an estimated population constructed so as to allow for the exclusion of non-civilians during the last quarter of the year, and to allow for the different areal assignment of deaths adopted for the first three and the last quarters, respect- ively. The typescript of the ordinary annual report has been lying at the Office awaiting the Registrar General’s statistics delayed by the War. It is hoped that the time is istant when the ordered advance of the social services imavo] ay be renq^d, and the continuity of annual reports maintained. \ o V I have the honour to be. Ladies and Gentlemen, ^ \ ’<56 Your obedient servant, G. B. PAGE.