London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Willesden 1919

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]

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7
Municipal Offices,
Dyne Road, Kilburn, N.W. 6.
1st June, 1920.
To the Willesden Urban District Council—
The Local Sanitary Authority,
and the Local Education Authority.
I beg to submit herewith the Annual Health Report for Willesden for the year 1919. This
report includes:—
(i.) the 44th Annual Report on the health and sanitary condition of the district;
(ii.) the 12th Annual Report on the health of children attending the public elementary
schools;
(iii.) the 5th Annual Report on the provision of meals to school children, and to expectant
and nursing mothers, and children, under 5 years of age ; and
(iv.) the 28th Annual Report on the Municipal Hospital.
The present report has been written strictly in accordance with instructions from the Ministry
of Health, the headings of each paragraph being those supplied by the Ministry.
The report discloses the efforts which are being made by the Council and the staff of the Health
Department to maintain and improve the health of the population of Willesden, which was estimated
at Midsummer at 170,625.
Health depends upon two factors—(i.) Environmental and (ii.) Personal.
Environmental Hygiene.
Environmental hygiene is represented mainly by the work of the Sanitary Inspectors, which
includes housing inspection, the abatement of nuisances, the supervision of drainage work, and the
regulation of common lodging houses, slaughter houses, canal boats, moveable dwellings, factories
and workshops, offensive trades and the like. Of recent years this work has not bulked to the same
extent in the public eye as it did 10 years ago, but it is to be observed that the work of this section
of the Health Department is practically as great in volume to-day as it has ever been, as may be seen
from the following Table No. 1.

Table No. 1.

Total Number of Inspections made by Sanitary Inspectors each year since 1910.

Year.Total Inspections.
191013,176
191113,301
191216,397
191311,800
191419,576
191515,596
191612,021
19176,344
19186,060
191912,484

Personal Hygiene.
In Willesden steps are now taken to conserve the health of the people from infancy up to the
end of school life through the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme of the Council, and the Medical
Inspection and Treatment Schemes of the Education Committee.
Maternity and Child Welfare.—The first Clinic established under the Maternity and Child
Welfare Scheme of the Council was the Baby Clinic opened in November, 1916. Subsequently
other clinics were established, and there are now in working order ante-natal clinics for expectant
mothers, clinics for nursing mothers, and clinics for children up to five years of age. These clinics
provide the patients attending them with advice as to the care of their health and treatment of defects.
They are worked in close association with the Municipal Hospital, where cases suitable only for
hospital treatment are referred.