[Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire County Council.

  • Berkshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Berkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/48
    To THE Chairman and Members of the Public Health and Housing Committee of the Berkshire County Council. The outstanding feature of the year 1921 was the exceptionally severe drought, extending from about the middle of May to the middle of August with only slight intermissions. The water levels fell so low that many of the wells were left dry. Inhabitants in East Berkshire had every reason to be thankful for the policy which in the past had led to the laying of water mains throughout a wide area. The general death-rate and the rate of infantile mortality each remained well below the average of the preceeding ten years, but the comparatively high birth-rate of 1920 was not maintained, the figure for 1921 being scarcely in excess of the average. The incidence of scarlet fever showed a further increase, but the cases were generally of a mild type. Diphtheria was also prevalent in several localities, a considerable number of the cases being of a serious nature. A small but definite outbreak of acute poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis) was recorded in Wantage and its vicinity. Considerable progress was made in state aided housing schemes, but the supply of cottages is still insufficient and the problem of providing house accommodation at a rent that can be met out of current wages remains unsolved. The death of Dr. Ashby early in the present year (1922) has deprived the Public Health Service of an officer who will always be remembered with affectionate regard by his colleagues. For many years he had been associated with Berkshire as ]\Iedical Officer of Health of Reading County Borough and the Wokingham districts and his wide knowledge and ex- perience and essentially practical views on sanitation combined to make his advice of real value. GERARD C. TAYLOR, County Medical officer of Health, Shire Hall, The Forbury, Reading, 2'ird October, 1922.
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