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

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Finsbury 1905

Report on the public health of Finsbury 1905 including annual report on factories and workshops

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237
I do not tliink it can be doubted tliat lack of knowledge, and in
some cases poverty and the stress of life, lead to that mismanagement
of child-bearing and of the first months of life which is
revealed in the Report, and which is the source of so much
suffering and death.
Much requires to be done in the direction of educational work
in public health. Especially important is the training of girls in
domestic hygiene, food values, and infant management, the personal
guidance and teaching of well-qualified health visitors in the homes
of the people, and the creation of a "health conscience." Any
influence, also, which tends to counteract thriftlessness, alcoholism,
and immorality is an influence in favour of health, ami the same is
to be said for all social and religious agencies and influences which
tend to raise the moral tone of the community or the character of
the individual. For this reason it must not be forgotten that
voluntary workers of many different views and creeds are all contributing,
or should be contributing, to the betterment of life and
health in Finsbury.
THE WORK OF THE SANITARY
AUTHORITY.
Finally, it may fairly be asked, what is the Borough Council
as the Sanitary Authority doing through its Public Health Committee
to ameliorate the conditions of physical life in the Borough?
The answer to this question may be summarised, for the details
will be found in the pages of the Report.
(«) Measures of Preventive Medicine. Notification, isolation to
Hospital, and investigation of channels ol infection (pp. 3.3-74.)
Disinfection of premises (pp. 193-195), and vaccination (pp.
225-228); 610 infections cases have been removed to Hospital,
1,144 homes and 9,000 articles have been disinfected, and 1,000
investigations into infectious disease have been made.
(6) Protection of Food and the maintenance of a high standard of
quality and of purity (pp. 77-107); 94 tons of bad food have
been confiscated and destroyed, 624 samples of food have been
analysed, and 274 restaurants have been periodically inspected.