[Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Hartlepool Borough.

  • Hartlepool (England). Borough Council. nb2004301809.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Hartlepool Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/56 (page 6)
    records. However sufficient information is available to show the general trend of health progress. There can be no doubt that pro- gress has been made. The period began with the beginning of the post war slump in trade, and as time passed conditions became steadily worse. This economic stringency rendered it difficult for the Council to embark on expensive schemes, yet it cannot be said that Hartlepool has remained where it was. I would like to mention a few of the moves made during the period :—First and foremost comes the erection of a clinic of which the town may well be proud : then there is the creation of recreation grounds on the town moor : the building of the bathing pool: the building of the North and South promenades, which will do much to promote a cleaner town : the appointment of an additional health visitor: the establishment of a dental clinic in the town: the doubling of the ophthalmic clinic: the clearing away of slum property to some extent. All these schemes cost money but will amply repay the citizens by securing for them better health. That the public have appreciated these improvements is easily proved. The clinic as will be shown time after time in these pages has achieved an importance in the daily life of the town that makes one wonder how the people lived without it so long. The recreation grounds are all extensively used. Turning to the statistics one finds much to cheer and much to disturb. Evidence of overcrowding continues to come forward in the tuberculosis and acute respiratory disease death rates, as well as in the infant mortality rate. As the report will show, much has been done to reduce these rates, but overcrowding renders the fight very unequal. It is cheering to note that small-pox has so far been denied an entry into the town. It is also pleasing to record that diphtheria and enteric fever are almost neglible factors amongst the causes of sickness and death. The latter fact probably results from the energetic policy pursued by the Council during the earlier years of the quinquennium, when all the dry closets and privies were replaced by modern water-closets.