[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Penzance U.D.C. / Borough.

Penzance (England). Urban District Council.

Date:: 1946

Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Penzance U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS, PENZANCE. To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN and COUNCILLORS, BOROUGH OF PENZANCE. Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is obviously impossible for a newcomer to give adequate comment on local events which occurred before his arrival, and thus the report which is set out on the lines indicated by the Minister is, of necessity, brief. At the outset I must pay a most sincere tribute to the quite outstanding- work done by my predecessor, Dr. Hadfield, who carried out pioneer work in so many aspects of public health not only in this town but in the whole peninsula. In general, comparison with the figures for last year show a material change in that infant mortality is considerably lower. This is a very sensitive index not only of the general care of children but also of the housing position. LInfortunately, as far as the latter is concerned, this cannot yet be said to be satisfactory for a seaside town, as the process of developing from a small seaport into a seaside resort (with a great future if its citizens are so minded) is not yet complete. Comments on the adequacy and quality of the town’s water supplies are made in the text but it is justifiable here to pass extremely laudatory comment on the Drift waterworks, which, without any qualification can be stated to be one of the finest and most modern plants of any town in the country of anywhere near comparable size. The town deserves congratulation for its foresight in constructing the Drift works but it should be remembered that a really modern water supply, such as it is, demands an equally modern sewerage system; the need therefore, of adequate sewers for Newlyn, Mousehole, and Gulval should be self-evident.