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15
issued so that the quantity required for any one person could be
drawn from the container used for that person alone. Towards
the end of the year the Council agreed to raise the income limit to
£450. Shortly after this a certain measure of publicity was given
to the whole question, the Minister of Health urging authorities
to take energetic action. While being duly grateful to the Minister
for this propaganda it was felt that any steps taken should as far
as possible be in line with those already in operation so that any
publicity should act as a fillip to the ordinary measures and should
not result in a merely temporary increase in the acceptance rate.
In this district at least there have been no major changes arising
from the war which have substantially increased the risk of any
section of the community or even of any individual contracting
diphtheria. From the point of view of the well-being of the
community, to-day and of the future, it is far more important that
a substantial proportion of the children born in this district should
be immunized year after year, than that any, even though
large, numbers should be treated to-day or in the next few weeks.
For this reason, then, it was not advised that any special clinics
should be held, but rather that the parents should continue to
avail themselves of the existing machinery. If the only effect
locally of any propaganda had been to increase the numbers going
to their own doctors to be treated, such stimulus applied to them
would have been welcome. Unfortunately, however, whether
because of the demands made on the antigen elsewhere because
of the larger numbers requesting to be done or whether it was
because any reagent available was put up in the more economically
sized containers or whether it was because shortage of glass prevented
the distribution of the reagent in small sized containers, the
fact remains that we were confronted with the situation that we
were unable to supply the local doctors with the reagent. The
only A.P.T. obtainable was that in the possession of the Emergency
Laboratories. This was put up in 25 c.c. bottles and was for use
at clinics and not for issue to the local practitioners.
I have the honour to be,
Mrs. Leech and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
CARYL THOMAS,
Medical Officer of Health.
Council Offices,
Harrow-on-the-Hill.
June 30th, 1941