Report / Board of Health, City of Edmonton, Alberta.

  • Edmonton (Alta.). Board of Health.
Date:
[1940]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report / Board of Health, City of Edmonton, Alberta. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/28 (page 4)
    Housing conditions have continued to be unsatisfactory. Insufficient dwelling space has resulted in overcrowding and the use of buildings unsuit¬ able for this purpose. This constitutes an increasingly urgent problem for our community. The bathhouse and disinfesting station has proven a most useful service. Facilities are provided for indigents and transients to bathe and wash their clothing. Fifteen thousand, two hundred and fifty-five baths were given, and 12,253 men washed their clothes. Also 596 treatments were given for scabies and vermin, and the clothing of these cases disinfested. In this respect we have co-operated fully with the Army. General sanitation of the city has been fairly satisfactory, and in this connection the co-operation of the Engineering Department has been invalu¬ able. Supervision of foodstuffs has been carried out in both wholesale and retail food-handling establishments. The largest item of foods condemned was in the case of meats, of which our veterinarians condemned 35,835 pounds. The chief causes for this were tuberculosis infection in pork and tuberculosis and pneumonia in beef. The amount of fruits and vegetables, canned foods, cereals, etc. condemned in shops and restaurants showed a decrease from previous years. Exposure of foods in shops to handling by the public has required consider¬ able attention. However, I believe vendors are coming to realize that most citizens will refuse to purchase foods so carelessly exposed. The condition has greatly improved. The high standard of our city milk supply has been maintained. The safety value in careful supervision of this perishable food is marked by the low incidence of milk-borne infections in our children. The excellent co-operation of dairymen’s associations has assisted greatly in arriving at this satisfactory condition. The Health Department has co-operated with the University and Nurses’ Training Schools in making our facilities available for teaching purposes. The Provincial Laboratory has rendered much technical advice and service in connection with our work, and the Relief Departments have given valuable assistance in many of our problems. We believe it even more necessary during war time that essential health services be maintained at their highest point. This we have endeavoured to do. It has become increasingly difficult for many citizens to instal new equip¬ ment, plumbing, etc. during these times. We have tried, as far as possible, to assist them in working out their problems to meet this difficulty and yet avoid hazards to health. Respectfully submitted, G. M. LITTLE, Medical Officer of Health.