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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Metropolitan Borough of Battersea.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg herewith to present to you a report upon the health
and sanitary conditions of the Borough for the year 1951.
Dr. G. Macdonald retired from the position of Medical
Officer of Health on the 31st May, 1951, when Dr. A. G. G.
Thompson, Medical Officer of Health of Lambeth, took over in
a temporary part-time capacity the duties of Medical Officer of
Health pending the appointment of a permanent successor.
Dr. Anderson Garland was appointed Deputy Medical Officer of
Health and commenced duty on the 8th October, 1951, and on
20th October Dr. Thompson relinquished his temporary appointment,
from which date Dr. Garland acted as Medical Officer of
Health until January 7th, 1952, when I took up my present
appointment.
It falls to me, therefore, to make this report for a period
prior to my taking up office and under the circumstances I thought
it desirable that the report should be made a factual one with
a minimum of comment.
It is, however, right and proper that reference should be
made to the long and loyal service which Dr. Macdonald rendered
to the Council. It will be recalled that he was appointed Medical
Officer to the Battersea Tuberculosis Dispensary, in 1919, at a
time when it was run on a voluntary basis. In May, 1921, when
the Dispensary was taken over by the Council Dr. Macdonald
became a temporary officer and his appointment as permanent
whole-time Tuberculosis Officer followed in July, 1921. In
November, 1930, Dr. Macdonald was appointed Deputy Medical
Officer of Health and when, in June, 1934, Dr. Lennane retired,
Dr. Macdonald was appointed to succeed him as Medical Officer
of Health, and held the office until he retired in May of last year,
Dr. Macdonald, therefore, had over thirty years service with the
Council. Although I myself have not had the privilege of his
personal acquaintance, I knew of him by reputation as a wellknown
Medical Officer of Health in the London area. I am sure
it would be the wish of the Council that the hope should be
expressed in this report that he will have many years of happy
and pleasant retirement.
Although, as I have said, the report this year is almost entirely
factual, I have studied the figures and the statistics and I do not
find anything of particular importance which merits special
mention. The year appears to have been uneventful so far as
epidemic diseases were concerned and the vital statistics show a
satisfactory state of the public health. I should, however, like to
direct your attention to the reference made in the body of the
report to the Festival Pleasure Gardens situated within the
Borough, particularly the excellent work done by the staff of the