[Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxford City.

  • Oxford (England). City Council. no2012034102.
Date:
1959
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxford City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    but many practical disadvantages and after much discussion it was decided to take no action. The second item concerned the position of the health department when the City Council decided to introduce the five day working week. Eventually it was agreed that a small skeleton staff should be available in the health department on Saturday mornings. It is with great sorrow that the deaths of Mr. E. Hills and Miss M. Kirtland have to be recorded. The former had given 13 years service as Manager of the Blind Workship and had continued courageously at work in recent years despite increasing ill-health. The latter died very suddenly and unexpectedly having given 19 years' devoted service as a member of the clerical staff of the Public Health Inspectors’ section of the department. A most successful farewell party was held at Townsend House in July in honour of three retiring members of the welfare services, namely Miss Reeves (Assistant Welfare Officer), Miss Sampson, M.R.E. (Matron, The Laurels), and Miss Jones (Matron, Frilford House). Each of these officers has given long and faithful service to the community and there were many sincere expressions of thanks coupled with best wishes for a healthy and happy retirement. Toward the end of the year Dr. Peter Sylvester left the department to take up his new post as Deputy M.O.H., Reading. He was a most conscientious and industrious medical officer and a very pleasant colleague. A serious loss occurred early in 1960 by the resignation of Miss Needham, Supervisor of Midwives, after 22 years’ service in the department. She left for the happiest of reasons, namely to get married. She has played an important part in building up one of the finest domiciliary midwifery services in the country, and as superintendent of the Midwives’ Hostel she exercised a most beneficial influence over the teaching and supervision of hundreds of pupil midwives, many now practising ail over the world. An even greater loss will occur about the time this report is published by the resignation of Dr. Mary Fisher, Senior Assistant Medical Officer for Maternity and Child Welfare, as a result of the appointment of her husband to a Professorship at Edinburgh. She has been a wonderfully staunch colleague and we have all valued greatly her sound, sensible advice given from a background of long, devoted and extremely hardworking service to the community during which she never spared herself in spite of heavy family commitments. During her 26 years’ service Dr. Fisher has pioneered many important aspects of the maternity and child welfare services, and these will stand as a memorial to her for many years to come. She has played a major role in developing the close and happy relationship with the Paediatric Depart¬ ment which we so much value. She has undertaken with great success a heavy teaching programme in connection with medical students, health visitors, midwives and district nurses. Dr. Fisher is recognised as a national authority on her subject and there can be no doubt at all that we are all going to miss her very much indeed. Although I am responsible for this Report, many members of my staff,