[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C.

  • Liskeard (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ience that sons and daughters are anxious to place their old parents in institu¬ tions and once they have been so placed, are unwilling to receive them back into their homes. Though this is not surprising when one considers that the whole atmosphere of the Welfare State is conducive to the abandonment of personal responsibility, it is nevertheless a deplorable tendency, which has resulted in very heavy pressure being brought to bear on those institutions which care for aged and chronically ill persons. Apart from the difficulty of providing sufficient buildings and equipment, the staffing of such institutions and hospitals presents a real problem to which I referred in my report for 1950. There has not been any substantial improvement during 1951, with the result that it has not been easy to gain admission to the only hospital for aged and chronically ill persons which exists in the Area. In stating this I wish to make it clear that I attach no blame whatsoever to the authorities administering this hospital who have always proved most co-operative within the limits imposed upon them by accommodation and staff. The problem is one which is general throughout the country, and is one whch calls for careful considera¬ tion. Although concern has been expressed at the falling off in the number of children receiving immunisation against diphtheria. I am glad to report that during 1951 this tendency was not manifest in Health Area No. 7 Here the number of children receiving primary immunisations during 1951, totalled 725 as against 668 during 1950. I trust that this happy state of affairs will con¬ tinue, as it would be a tragedy if diphtheria became once again a threat to the lives of children. Another infectious disease which has been very much in the public mind of recent years is poliomyelitis. I am glad to report that in 1951 there were fewer cases of this disease in this Area than during 1950, and none of the cases were fatal. Details of this and other infectious diseases appear in the body of the report. During 1951 the building of new houses continued at much the same rate as in previous years. Whilst there has been some reduction in the numbers of applicants on the waiting list, there is still in most districts a keen demand for new houses. In most cases where the demand has fallen off, it has most probably done so in face of economic pressure, or more plainly the unwilling¬ ness or the inability of the family to pay the relatively high rent and rates attaching to new houses. Many families continue to live in old sub-standard dwellings, but frankly I see little prospect of, or little point in attempting to rehouse them until the cost of letting new houses can be reduced, a prospect which at present seems remote. I would add my voice to the many which have already been raised in deploring the rigidity and apparent unreasonable¬ ness of legislation restricting the rent which may be charged for a great number of houses which are let for occupation. The ridiculously low rents which are enforced mean that landlords have been more or less compelled to neglect the regular repair and maintenance of these houses, and.in consequence the majority of these dwellings have reached such a state of dilapidation as to