[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Newark Borough, Southwell R.D.C., Newark R.D.C.

  • Newark-on-Trent (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Newark Borough, Southwell R.D.C., Newark R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Public Health Department The Friary Appletongate NEWARK 1 st July, 1955 To the Mayor and Corporation of the Borough of Newark— Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present my fifteenth Annual Report on the sanitary circumstances, health and vital statistics of the Borough of Newark for 1954. The report is compiled in accordance with the Ministry of Health Circular 28/54 and the County Medical Officer has again very kindly permitted me to include a section on the work in connection with personal health services which are maintained by the County Council and operate within the Borough. Whooping cough and scarlet fever were the notifiable diseases most prevalent but chicken pox also had a considerable effect on school attendances. Diphtheria was for the tenth year absent from the list of notifications. Although in the body of the report I stress the necessity for maintaining the rate of immunisation I think, that in case readers get no further than this introduction, it is advisable to state here that I am not satisfied with the percentage of babies being submitted for immunisation. The present absence of the disease may be broken at any time and once infection has returned it is too late to rush to the doctor and have baby immunised expecting “ immunity ” forthwith. The injections do not give immunity they only start the process of the body building up resistance and this takes 3 to 4 months to be effective. The Housing Repairs and Rents Act 1954 became law on the 30th July, 1954, and under it slum clearance recommenced. Unfortunately, it was not until December that an additional sanitary inspector was appointed and we were able to proceed with a survey of the town. This survey was necessary owing to a complete change of public health department personnel and an absence of records of previous surveys. However, at the time of writing the work is proceeding. The Council will be interested to know that the clinic accommo¬ dation at The Friary is being extensively used. Apart from the normal School Clinic, Dental Clinic, Child Welfare and Immunisation sessions,