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The Public Health Department in close co-operation with that
of the Borough Surveyor and the Baths' Superintendent, has carried
out all sanitary and hygienic precautions which were considered at
all likely to have a bearing on the prevention of infection of
Poliomyelitis, but unfortunately it is impossible to ascertain if
they were effective.
As in the previous year many difficulties were encountered
in dealing with housing dilapidations and repairs of insanitary
defects. Delays were generally due to shortage of labour and
materials, or in some cases to difficulty in arriving at decisions
as to what was due to war damage or normal deterioration; and a
very large burden of work has fallen on the Sanitary Inspectors in
their endeavour to keep work in hand and properly carried out,
especially as there has been considerable difficulty in maintaining
a full staff.
Close touch has been kept with the Housing Department of
the borough, many urgent cases being referred to the Director of
Housing & Public Buildings for priority consideration, and I should
like to express my appreciation to him for much help in this
connection from him and his staff.
The Maternity & Child Welfare services have had a busy
year, and more than upheld their high record of efficiency.
Special attention has been given to illegitimate children and
constant supervision maintained over foster mothers.
Diphtheria immunisation progress has been well maintained
although the statistical returns are less than in 1947. There are
two factors which may largely account for this (a) a special arrangement
in the previous year to hold an additional 18 sessions for
school children and (b) there were in 1946 over twice the number of
notifications of cases of diphtheria in the borough, - and
experience has invariably been that applications for immunisation
are much more numerous in a locality after the occurrence of a
case.
The death rate from Tuberculosis, 0.58 again shows a
decrease - the figure for the previous year being 0.77. There
has been continued difficulty in getting admission to sanatorium,
the delay being due without doubt to the scarcity of available
beds, owing to the shortage of domestic and nursing staff in the
institutions.
Various changes in the medical staff of the Maternity &
Child Welfare Department have occurred during the year, Drs. Dowds,
Brodigan, Wood and Clarke having acted for various periods; and
Dr. Michael Elyan was appointed on the permanent staff and commenced
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