[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council.

  • North Riding of Yorkshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    INTRODUCTION. To the Members of the North Riding of Yorkshire County Council. Mr. Chairman, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to submit to you my Annual Report on the Health Conditions in the Riding for the year 1937. The Report is largely statistical, but it also includes information regarding the varied activities of the Public Health Department and the principal changes and developments which occurred during the year. The vital statistics show many satisfactory features, although in one or two respects the improvement of the previous year has not been maintained. The Birth Rate of 16-0 was the highest recorded since 1930, and compares with 14-9 for England and Wales, but the Death Rate showed a fractional increase at 12-8, as compared with 12-6 for 1936—the Death Rate for the Country as a whole was 12-4. In regard to Infantile Mortality, however, the rate was 58T, compared with 57-0 for 1936 ; in this rate there was an improvement in urban areas and the slight increase was associated with rural districts. The infantile mortality rate for the Riding was practically the same as that for England and Wales. The Maternal Mortality Rate, as was pointed out in my last report, is liable to wide fluctuations owing to the smallness of the numbers involved and to chance variations. The Rate for 1937 was 4-33, compared with 3-40 for the previous year ; the increase represents a difference of 6 in the numbers of maternal deaths for the two years. The Tuberculosis Death Rate continues to be a bright spot in the vital statistics ; and, during 1937, it reached the lowest level yet recorded in the Riding since the advent of noti¬ fication of the disease in 1912. The number of notifications of the disease, however, has increased, but this increase coincided with improved facilities for diagnosis. The best that can be said of the Cancer Death Rate is that it is no worse than that for the previous year ; indeed, there were 4 fewer deaths, but the total number remains high, and cancer forms, after heart disease, the most important single cause of death. The amount of suffering and invalidism from this disease can only be guessed ; but, if it bears a direct relationship to the mortality statistics, the problem of cancer is one of some magnitude in the community. Greater facilities for early diagnosis and treatment with wider propaganda regarding the hopefulness of new forms of treatment are much needed helps in the attack on this disease. In regard to the activities of the Public Health Department, it may be said that the year 1937 was one of many changes and of many developments. The Midwives Act, 1936, providing a domiciliary midwifery service throughout the Country, came into operation in the Riding on the 31st July, 1937. In such an extensive area, the scheme was necessarily complicated ; yet, it is working very well and this result is due, in large measure, to the happy co-operation between the Public Health Committee, the County Nursing Association, and other organisations concerned in the maternity services. Other maternity and chiid welfare services have been developed during the year. There has been a reorganisation of ante-natal work providing for additional clinics throughout the Riding and for special attention to expectant mothers in rural districts ; more accommo¬ dation has been obtained in maternity hospitals for the types of cases admitted there under the Public Health Committee’s scheme ; for the first time, there is a complete health visiting service in the Riding for the care of the pre-school child ; and more child welfare centres have been established in rural districts. The Agriculture Act, 1937, recommended, among other things, the transfer of the veterinary staff to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries ; and, although this transfer was not effected until early in the current year, some preliminary work was done in 1937 in anticipation of the transfer. Now that it has been effected, happily without the loss of all the services of the veterinary staff, I should like to place on record this appreciation of the excellent work done by the Council’s veterinary staff, whose efforts have been unremitting to secure a high standard of milk production in the Riding. The Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1936, continued to occupy an important place in the work of the Department, and the number of licences to produce “ Tuberculin Tested ” Milk and “ Accredited ” Milk showed a marked increase during the year. In Public Assistance, the proposals for reorganisation of the institutional accommodation were a main feature ; these proposals have as one of their objects, the provision of better accommodation for the chronic sick. There were many other interesting features of the year’s work, and reference has been made to them under the various sections in the body of the report. In conclusion, I should like to express my gratitude to the Chairmen and Members of the several Committees of the Council associated with the health administration for their sympathetic consideration of the numerous problems ; to the members of the staff of the Public Health Department, professional and clerical, for their loyal assistance ; and to my colleagues in other Departments for their helpful co-operation. I have the honour to be, Mr. Chairman, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, A. DAVIDSON, County Medical Officer of Plealth. June, 1938.