[Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Chelmsford Borough.

  • Chelmsford (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Chelmsford Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/30 (page 4)
    OBSERVATIONS. Health Service. I have j)leasure in submitting my Seventh Annual Report as Medical Officer of Health. This is also the year of cessation of hostilities in the German and Japanese theatres of war, so that it is still a war-time edition. It is good to be able to rejrort that throughout the strenuous years of war, the health of the Borough has remained at a high level, that births have continued to increase (although a slight drop on the last Report, 668 to 616) and that infection, infestation and malnutrition are at their lowest. Diphtheria is unknown thanks to the persistent efforts of all concerned in pressing the Di])htheria Immunisation Campaign at the clinics and in the schools. The response has been good but there are still defaulters and misinformed parents who prefer to run grave risks rather than accept this most sound and excellent j)reventive measure. During the year the responsibility for the immunisation of the 0-5 year olds was handed over to the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee. The Clinics have risen yet again in attendances which reflects considerably on the altering views of the public. When I first came to Chelmsford attendances were low and the element of “ places for the poor ” still the thought uppermost in the public mind. To-day it is different, for the benefits which are to be obtained and the advice offered by our Officers in each department is gradually making itself evident by the continued increases and requests for information in many unknown directions. Not the least of these is the increasing . advice now sought and offered to parents who have no children. The “ Fertility' Clinic ” as I like to call it. The results have proved encouraging combining as they do the advice of Specialists, Hospital and Pathologist. The Dental Sessions per week for infants to five years of age and ante-natal mothers has been increased to two sessions per week, which take place the same time as the Infant Welfare Sessions, thus jiroving a better service for the mothers and children. Many babies are able to profit by this early dental attention. This increase in dental sessions was envisaged in my last Report. There were no maternal deaths during the year under review. An additional Infant Welfare Clinic was opened at the St. John’s Hosj)ital with the co-operat’on of the County Medical Officer of Health, who kindly placed one of the huts at our disposal. This was intended as a temporary measure, and it is hoped to make more jiermanent arrangements by the next Report. In December, 1944, a Domestic Helj) Scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Health in Circular 179/44, but although every endeavour has been made to get this working, by contacting the Ministry of Labour, advertisements in the local press, etc., it has been found quite impossible to find suitable jieople to operate the Scheme, in fact it has been found quite impossible to get anybody to offer their services at all. A draft Scheme for E2)idemics was drawn u]) in the Autumn with the helj) of the various ])ublic bodies and voluntary organi.sations, but I am glad to rej)ort that it was found unnecessary to jnit it into operation.