[Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough.

  • Watford (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/42 (page 3)
    BOROUGH OF WATFORD Health Department, Town Hall, WATFORD. July, 19^9. TO HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have pleasure in submitting my fifth Annual Report and the twenty-sixth of its kind for the Borough. I apologise for the fact that many of the de¬ tails included therein are now out of date but I would remind the Members of the Public Health Committee that an interim report was submitted in February, 19^8. If it is necessary to find an excuse for the fact that this Report has been put on one side on several occasions it can be found in the decision of the County Council to form Divisional areas for Health Services administra¬ tion and with this end in view the County Medical Officer took considerable trouble to fit into the County's proposals for the administration of the various sections of Part III of the National Health Service Act the existing services which had been developed by the small but progressive Borough of Watford as a Welfare Authority. Much time has been spent on these delibera¬ tions but with goodwill and understanding an up-to-date and integrated Health Service should be the result. When great changes are taking place in all spheres of medical practice and administration it is worth a moment's pause to look at the duties and res¬ ponsibilities of a Medical Officer of Health as defined by the Sanitary Offi¬ cers Regulations, 1935. Included in these duties are:- That the Medical Officer of Health shall inform himself as far as practicable, respecting all matters affecting or likely to affect the public health in the district and be prepared to advise the Local Auth¬ ority on any such matter.” I regard this duty of paramount importance but to carry it out adequately and efficiently within the Health Services of to-day research and Investiga¬ tion are required together with suitable staff to clarify and relate the facts thus obtained to the state of the people's health. If such a duty is vital then some of the detailed administrative responsibilities must be delegated so that the considerable knowledge of local conditions and factors influen¬ cing them can be used to advantage and advice offered when called for. With an enthusiastic staff and a keen Public Health Committee it is never diffi¬ cult to find an opening for any suggestions or experiments which might,in the light of experience, prove beneficial to the health of the Community. During the year the detailed work of the Department included the inves¬ tigation of several small outbreaks of food poisoning, one household attacked by Typhoid Fever and then during the summer and autumn the epidemic of poli¬ omyelitis during which, although there were only 13 confirmed cases with one death, many came under suspicion and required investigation. Looking back it is noteworthy that several patients were admitted to both the isolation