[Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Sanitary / Public Health Inspector, and School Medical Officer of Health, Peterborough City.

  • Peterborough (England). City Council. nr 94004832.
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Sanitary / Public Health Inspector, and School Medical Officer of Health, Peterborough City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    City Health Department, Town Hall, Peterborough. To : The Right Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the City of Peterborough. Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have much pleasure in presenting my Annual Report for the year 1966. As before this report includes Delegated Health and Welfare Services and School Medical Services. Again statistics compare favourably with England and Wales, and there has been an absence of serious outbreaks of infectious disease in the City. Nevertheless, the continual toll of needless deaths resulting from lung cancer must give cause for considerable concern. I use the word ‘'needless” because there is unequivocal evidence that, to a large extent, lung cancer can be prevented by the avoidance of cigarette smoking. There is an increase of 48 hour discharges of maternity patients from Hospital, and the number of home confinements is less. This coincides with the shortage of Hospital beds and District Midwives, but we still continue to be fortunate in having the services of a part-time Midwife to attend to the 48 hour discharges. On the whole the Delegated Health and Welfare Services are working smoothly and satisfactorily within, of course, the limits imposed, as elsewhere, by staff shortages, and again I am very grateful for the help given by Doctors P. Sutcliffe, A. Gerada, P. Dooley, P. C. Harrison and J. Brown doing work on a part-time sessional basis. In conclusion I wish to thank the Chairman and Members of the Health and Welfare Committee for their encouragement and help, and all the staff in the Department for their loyal and efficient service. Yours faithfully, W. G. SMEATON. Medical Officer of Health. September, 1967.