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Public Health Department,
Town Hall, Camberwell, S.E.5.
15th December, 1942.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell.
Mr. Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
The following report does not attempt more than the provision of
statistical information of the Department's principal activities during
the year 1941, and its appearance in an abridged form is in accordance
with the request of the Ministry of Health.
The health of the Borough remained surprisingly good and the
expectation that the intensive night bombing in the early months of the
year with all the accompanying discomforts of irregular and disturbed
sleep in domestic or public air raid shelters would leave its mark on
the general health of the people was completely confounded.
There is only slight variation to be noted in the birth and
death rate figures for 1941 in relation to. the figures for 1940, and
for comparative purposes the vital and mortal rates are shown for the
past four years:-
Birthrate 13.97 13.85 15.90 15.60
Death rate 12.27 12.43 19.13 19.90
1938. 1959. 1940. 1941.
The interruption of the normal work of the Public Health
Department which occurred in the early days of the Mar by the transference
of many of the staff for duties in connection with Civil Defence,
Evacuation, Billeting of the Homeless, Rest Centres supervision, and
sanitary supervision of public air raid shelters, did not continue to
the same extent during 1941. When these services became properly
organised and staffs recruited for their operation, the Sanitary
Inspectors for example were able "to devote more time to the normal duties
of their appointments; the inspection and initiation of repairs to war
damaged properties, however, claiming most of their attention during the
period under review.
In the early part of the year the Council decided to regroup the
Infant Welfare Centre districts of the Borough which resulted in the
work being directed from five Centres instead of eleven. These
arrangements were approved by the Ministry of Health.
Following my usual custom I wish to acknowledge the loyal and
unstinted service which the Staff of the Public Health Department
rendered to the public, the Council, and to myself during the year;
I also desire to thank the Members of the Council for their unfailing
consideration and courtesy they have at all times extended to me in the
discharge of my duties as Medical Officer of Health.
Your obedient Servant,
H. W. Barnes,
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.