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

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

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

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    SMALLPOX. No provision other than what Exeter or our own •efforts may afford if necessity arises. (Vaccination statistics—Sec. B). MATERNI TY. Matter for a long and detailed plea is abundant for providing a “lying-in” Hospital for bad cases. Propaganda is needed to open the eyes of all to the defects in home treatment during confinement and convalescence in inefficient cottages. This concerns rural population most, but as such an institution must necessarily be placed in the town, to accomplish what is required, it must be the concern of the Urban population too. It must be clearly remembered that the condition is a healthy and natural one, bit requiring certain com- monsense conditions of surroundings. Bad cases require good conditions for treatment: conditions not to be found in many homes. It is a sign of dragging behind a forward-moving world, able to show methods adding to human happiness by providing for maternity patients (i) quiet surroundings (2) adjacent to medical aid ; (3) clean from a medical aspect; (4) facility of trained nursing help ; (5) freedom for a time from home worries ; greatly increased chances of well being both for mother and child when most wanted. It is already an established organisation in many places and will be in Okehampton, we may hope. A great chance for a philanthropist is offered. NATIONAL HEALTH WEEK. Under this section may be in¬ cluded a reference to the effort made in the Autumn, in conjunction with a general, national effort to observe a “National Health Week,” during which the community’s attention might be concentrated on Health problems. Lectures were given by the M.O.H. as well as by the Schools’ M.O. and others who kindly helped. The attendances were frankly unsatisfactory. The reasons, I think, were various. First, a want of advertisement; secondly, a certain shyness of the subject together with mistrust of the movement on the public’s part. Those few who helped the movement were enthusiastic, and the town owes them a debt for their help in what was practically speaking an experiment, as far as this town is concerned. It was greatly aided by the gentleman who lent his lantern for pictures and, who, himself, devoted much time to it. 1926 must show a much greater interest on the part of laymen, as dis¬ tinct from Medical men. Problems should be considered by townsmen and women, and debated in open meeting. Clash of interests between the community and those who supply its wants is feared : the fear must be met by goodwill and with open eyes for errors existing, coupled with a deter¬ mination that they shall be improved and continue to improve. WORKHOUSE. VACCINATION. Amount of Poor Law Relief—^£887. (Figures supplied me by the Public Vaccinator). IQ 20 I 021 1022 IQ22 IQ24 102^ PR PR PR PR PR PR Numbers 35 ? 52 3 81 l7 58 l4 4* 4 24 4 Per cent, of Births 49 45 100 ? 80 44 P—Primary Vaccination. R—Re-Vaccinations.