[Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council.

  • Norfolk (England). County Council.
Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/48 (page 27)
    Sanitary Defects. During the year about 120 complaints were received with regard to nuisances, housing defects, etc. These were referred to the Local Sanitary Authorities for action. Schools. (a) Water Supply. Very few Elementary Schools are connected to a main water supply; the majority have wells on the premises, but where this is not the case water for drinking purposes is obtained by arrangement from neighbouring wells. (b) Sanitary Conditions. The Assistant Medical Officers when at the Schools report on the hygienic and sanitary conditions and any matters requiring attention are referred to the Education Committee. (c) Infectious Disease. t» It is the duty of Head Teachers to send immediate notification simul¬ taneously to the District Medical Officer of Health and the School Medical Officer in respect of any child suffering or suspected to be suffering from, or in contact with, any disease of an infectious nature. Close co-operation is maintained with the District Medical Officers of Health. INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD. Milk Supply. There appears to be much misconception as to the danger derived from the consumption of raw milk. While it is admitted that milk is an ideal food for young children and old people, in as much as it is easily digested and leaves little in waste products, yet it must be clearly understood that certain diseases definitely have been proved to follow its use. Laying aside accidental or human sources of contamination, there is no doubt that at least 2000 children in this country die each year as a result of consuming milk containing living bovine tubercle bacilli. Added to this, there are no less than 4000 children affected annually, and, in many cases, crippled with tuberculosis of glands, bones and joints from a similar cause. In Norfolk alone at least ;£4000 is spent each year on treatment of such cases and much of the suffering and crippling, to say nothing of the waste of public money, could be prevented. At the present time there are two grades of Tuberculin Tested milk licensed by the Minister of Health, but in Norfolk, of some 3000 producers, only 8 are in this category. All milk should be free from patho¬ genic organisms so it may be drunk with impunity in its raw state by our children; increase in height, weight and general well-being would more than reward us for the trouble taken to secure this end. Obviously, milk